


Spaceman

by k_d_sparrow



Series: Spaceman Series [1]
Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 16:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3536105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/k_d_sparrow/pseuds/k_d_sparrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penny Holden is having a bad day, and then her ex is hit by a man who fell from the sky. Without realizing it Penny becomes hoplessly tangled in the web of one dashing god of mischief. Loki/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Anvil?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and Welcome to the Spaceman Series!  
> There is a lot more coming, I have written two complete stories so far and am currently working on the third. They all focus on my O/C Penny Holden and how her world is completely flipped upside down by a certain someone.  
> Spaceman is about 40,500 words, the second in the series Beautiful Distraction is about 54.300 words and the third part is currently in progress.  
> Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Penny Holden had been having a very bad day. She had woken up late and had to cut her morning routine extremely short. Despite the modifications she was forced to make to said routine her morning bus happened to come six minutes early and she watched it drive away as she arrived, out of breath, at the stop.

After spending much needed money on a taxi to take her to work she arrived four minutes late to the extreme disapproval of her supervisor. She then proceeded to work away tirelessly and at her first chance she made her way to the coffee machine; only to find it empty. After making a new batch of coffee, she was pouring herself a cup when Stan, from the cubicle three aisles down, bumped into her causing her to pour the coffee on herself. Slightly singed and coffeeless Penny sat down and resumed working.

After work she came home to a messy apartment and a phone message from her mother reprimanding her for the direction her life was headed, though it did end with a sweet, "Ok, love you, say hi to Blake for me… and ask him, where's that diamond ring?" She had deleted it instantly.

After doing the dishes and a general tidy up, she received a call from her boyfriend, the aforementioned Blake, explaining that he was working late. She fixed up some pasta only to find out that the cream she had been intending to use for the sauce had gone bad. She made a trip to store where she had to return a bottle of Advil to the shelf because she had forgotten her wallet and had only enough money for the cream.

When she returned home she found her neighbour's dog relieving itself outside her front door. She shooed the dog away and proceeded to escape indoors only to return outside once more with disinfectant and a rag. After looking after that she returned to her kitchen where she discovered that she had left the oven's element on and the pasta noodles had burned to the bottom of the pan.

She called Blake and begged him to bring home a pizza and he surprisingly obliged. Often Blake was one to judge her affection for junk food, he just wanted Penny to 'be the best she could be', however, this evening he didn't even put up a fight. After dinner he suggested that they take a drive. Penny happily agreed and hopped into the car that she had originally purchased. Blake's job was just outside the city and he had to leave much earlier than Penny in the mornings; she enjoyed the sparse car rides that she got to experience; as Blake's preferred medium to any place in town was to walk.

As they drove out past city limits Penny thought that her day just might be getting better as she realized Blake was taking her to their special place, it was a beautiful meadow where the city dwellers could gaze up into the sky and see the stars as they never had before. She had taken Blake there on their first date.

As she looked up and saw the stunning blanket of stars she felt the bitter day leave her and she turned to Blake with smile on her face. This smile disappeared as she took in his nervous expression.

"What's wrong?" Penny studied his face carefully, his eyes darted away from hers, and, was he sweating? Suddenly she felt her heart rate speed up, and her smile returned, "What's going on Blake?"

If Blake sensed what Penny was currently imagining he didn't show it. Instead he made a horrible sort of whalloping sound in an attempt to stifle some deeper cough noise thing.

Penny tilted her head in confusion, thoughts of a proposal dashed from her mind, "Everything okay Blake?"

Blake turned to her with despair across his face.

Penny felt her heart drop, "Honey," she cooed as she took him in her arms, "What's wrong? Tell me."

Blake pulled away from her. "I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence before Penny tentatively smiled, "For what?"

Blake ran a hand through his hair and wiped a tear from his eyes. He looked up at her again, composed.

"Penny," he inhaled deeply, "I can't do this anymore. There's someone else."

Penny's small smile was frozen on her face as she blinked slowly in an attempt to gracefully digest what she had just heard.

Blake continued, "I'm sorry, I'm just so taken with her. I love her. We didn't mean for it to happen but it did and we're sorry… Penny, say something."

Penny's face had fallen and her mouth had dropped. She concentrated on breathing in and out. Blake reached out to her but she shied from his touch.

He sighed, "She said you'd react this way. Jeez, we both love you so much."

Penny frowned, "She… oh my god."

She felt as if a dagger had plunged into her back.

Blake tried his best to look comforting, "Yes, it's-

Penny squeezed her eyes shut and muttered under her breath rapidly, "DontsayitDontsayitDontsayit"

"Becky, me and Becky, it's crazy but it's real." Blake couldn't hide the smile that crept onto his face as he spoke of his new love.

Penny glared at him. And then suddenly she broke into laughter.

Concern immediately jumped to Blake's features, "Penny? What's so funny?"

Penny sighed as her laughter died, "One," tears began to form under her eyes, "Becky has kept me up to date with your little escapades, I just didn't know it was you, but you know, I'm her best friend so she tells me everything!" she whimpered slightly and then softly added, "Everything."

Her anger leapt again, "And two, I'm imagining you getting hit with one of those cartoon anvil thingys."

Blake raised a concerned eyebrow.

Penny watched as he advanced towards her but then a noise made him stop. It was a whooshing noise; unfamiliar to Penny. She glanced upwards through watery eyes to see a dark figure descending rapidly towards them. She gasped aloud as it got closer and shrieked as it hit her ex-boyfriend.

For a brief moment everything was still and the only thought on her mind was, Holy shit, I think I just wished an anvil on my boyfriend… and it worked. And then she was running to Blake's side, he was unconscious but still breathing and maybe a little scratched up, not to mention his shoulder was at a weird angle that she did not think was natural. She turned to the dark figure only to discover it was a man.

Inhaling sharply she leapt up and ran to his side. He was striking really. And still. Pale skin framed by black hair and fine features. And then he was moving and his eyes opened and Penny stared into the startlingly pale grey-blue eyes that seemed to be made of ice. She swallowed nervously as the man groaned and let his head fall back. His arms wrapped around his chest in an act that stemmed from what Penny guessed was pain. She noticed his strange attire, some sort of metal get-up that looked like something out of Medieval Times, complete with a deep green cloak.

Hesitantly, she touched his shoulder lightly. He raised his head once again and squinted up at her, "It's going to be alright. I'm going to help you." She watched as his head dropped again. She grabbed her cellphone as Blake came to. She called 911 as she went back to his side and answered the operator's questions as she smiled at Blake, as he seemed to be alright. She grabbed his hand, "Are you okay?"

Blake raised his free hand to his head and looked around, "Ow."

They laughed half-heartedly together for a moment. And then Blake turned to her, "Ya, I'm okay. Possibly concussed and I think something is broken because I am actually in some intense pain but… okay." He looked around wincing, "What the hell happened?"

He looked at her with an incredulous smile, waiting for an answer.

Penny felt her own smile fade as it all came back to her. Her lip trembled, "With my best friend." It was all she could say. She tore her hand from his as tears began to fall.

Penny got up and began to stumble away from Blake. The ground beneath her feet felt shaky and suddenly she tripped over herself. She fell into someone else. The man. He had been standing, a little shaky himself, staring up at the sky. And now they fell together. As Penny straightened herself she looked at him and then looked wildly around her. "Where did you come from?" The words came out through little stifled sobs.

The man only looked at her with eyes that seemed endless. He winced slightly and gently pushed Penny away from him.

Penny got up, for what felt like the fiftieth time, off the meadow's floor and created more distance between herself and this stranger. She turned her head as she heard the ambulance's siren approaching.

She ran out to the road and waved to the ambulance. They pulled up right alongside Blake's car and almost instantly paramedic's leaped out of the back. She led them to Blake and watched as two paramedics lifted him on to a stretcher. After they loaded him into the back the paramedic turned to Penny, "And what about you two, are you alright?"

Penny nodded, "I'm fine but he's-

She stopped short as she turned to look at the mysterious stranger. He was standing and wearing completely different clothes.

"I am alright." His deep voice echoed out for the first time.

Penny just stared.

The paramedic nodded, "Alright, well, would either of you like to ride with him? His condition is stable but if you'd like to be by his side…"

"No." Penny's voice sounded stronger than she felt. "No but I will call someone, so that someone will be there at the hospital. And he can tell you any details of what happened. I don't know what happened," her eyes darted briefly to the strange man, "I'm going to go home now."

The paramedic nodded, though he seemed to remain unsure.

Penny sighed as more tears begin to fall, "Look, he just dumped me for my best friend and then out of nowhere he…," once more she glanced at the man, "He.." she let the tears get the best of her.

The peculiar voice sounded again, "I fell on him."

The paramedic raised an eyebrow.

The man shrugged and walked forwards, closer to the paramedic, "I was simply scaling the…" he pointed and raised his eyes upwards, not in the direction he came from, fell from, but closer to the road.

Penny followed his gaze and realized he was pointing to the telephone wires. She saw the odd expression on the man's face and decided that she would come to his aid, "Telephone wires."

The man turned back to her briefly, a look of subtle scrutiny on his face, before continuing, "Yes, the telephone wires."

The paramedic looked back and forth between then man and the wires, "Are you alright sir?"

The man grinned seemingly sheepishly, "Yes I am. This poor gentleman got the worst of it I am afraid. You see I believe I have had more than my share of the drink this evening and got it into my head that it be a marvellous idea to scale the telephone wires, and when these two attempted to talk me out of my ridiculous idea I was momentarily startled and lost my grasp." The words flowed easily from his lips as if he had recounted this story every day of his life.

The paramedic nodded, "Well this is certainly a first for me," he grinned, "Stay away from telephone wires alright kid?"

The man returned the smile and inclined his head, "Of course."

The paramedic turned to Penny once more, "Sorry about your boyfriend. You'll get home ok?"

Penny nodded and watched as he returned to the ambulance and it drove off towards the city.

For the next few moments there was only stillness as she stared at the disappearing taillights. Then she allowed her eyes to focus on something much closer. She stared at the back of the weird, quick-changing, falling-from-sky-but-then-lying-about-it, man.

He turned to her and gave her a sort of half smile. "I do not think it wise for me to go to your hospital."

He offered this simple sentence as if it explained everything.

Penny wiped away fallen tears. "Oh. Okay." She let out sarcastically. She shrugged. "Whatever."

She opened the car door with more force than necessary, and then added, under her breath, "Today sucks."

Before she hopped into the front seat she turned back to the man, "Okay…" she looked to him, wondering if he might offer up any further explanation.

Instead the man raised a hand to his chest again and took a step backwards. His other hand clutched his stomach as his knees wobbled slightly and he staggered back further. Penny let go of the door and jogged slightly over to him, she reached out and steadied him, "Maybe it would be wise?" she echoed his peculiar wording.

The man waved his hand, dismissing the suggestion of the hospital. "I should not go there."

Penny glanced around helplessly as she felt him waver in her grasp, "Okay, well, I have a friend who is a nurse; can he take a look at you?"

The man opened and closed his eyes slowly and grabbed onto her arms. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and hesitated for a moment. Penny felt like he was attempting to discover if he could trust her, as if she was the one who had fallen from the sky.

He nodded heavily, "Yes."

And then he collapsed on top of her.


	2. Meddlesome Mortals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny brings Loki home.

Loki watched as the metal vehicle with flashing lights disappeared into the night. He looked up at the sky wearily.

He didn't know how long he had fallen for. He couldn't make sense of his journey from Asgard to Earth. He had reached out to the secret paths; he had extended magical limbs to find ways that had rarely been tread upon, ways that perhaps he was the first to discover. And then he had slipped into this realm. And he had suddenly hit earth's atmosphere. That had hurt. Then he had fallen. He had wildly attempted to steer himself to the same spot where Thor had landed and he wasn't that far off but the closer he got the faster he fell and the less control he had. He hadn't meant to land on the mortal. And in truth he hadn't really fallen on the mortal. He had landed directly beside him. His hand had hit the shoulder of the mortal and sent him flying.

Loki turned to the remaining mortal. She was a… interesting creature. She was almost comical in her efforts to aid her former lover. Comical in a sort of sad way. Loki had appreciated her supply of the words 'telephone wires', though he wasn't sure why she helped him with his false tale. Perhaps she was attempting to rationalize the situation. He knew that the mortals of today did that. That what they had once worshiped as holy magic they now looked upon as childish fodder. As he took in the appearance of the mortal before him now, her disheveled exterior and red swollen eyes, he saw that she was staring at him, waiting, he guessed, for some sort of explanation.

Loki felt the toll of the fall begin to affect him. He gave her a small smile of reassurance before offering her a simple explanation, "I do not think it wise for me to go to your hospital."

The mortal looked at him with bewilderment etched across her features. "Oh. Okay." She shrugged. "Whatever."

He watched her wrench open her own vehicle's door, and then watched, puzzled, as she muttered something bitterly that he could not hear. She turned to him once more, "Okay..."

Loki suddenly was hit with a wave of pain. He did his best to remain composed. But could not stop his hand from flying to his chest where he felt the weight of Mjolnir as if it was still upon him. And then he felt a wave of nauseating pain issue from his stomach, hunger cut into him and in the back of his mind he wondered once again just how long he had fallen. He stumbled back and wobbled dangerously on his weakened legs. He winced in pain and then she was there, grabbing his shoulders, steadying him. He took in the concern in her eyes. He pressed his own eyes shut and suddenly the memory of her leaning over him came to him and he recalled the sweet intensity with which she had said, "It's going to be alright. I'm going to help you."

"Maybe it would be wise?"

Her words caused him to come back to reality and he would have smiled at her use of throwing his own words back at him. He would have smiled but black dots were beginning to cloud his vision. He waved his hand at her, dismissing the hospital. Hospitals required forms and identification and explanations and he was in no condition to produce such things, no matter how basic they were. Not only had his landing taken its toll on him and his sudden hunger began to gnaw at him but he was still wounded from his battle with Thor, and he was shrouding himself with magic. And that silly spell he used to produce clothing had for some reason left him feeling drained. He was in a poor state to deal with meddlesome mortals. He clenched his teeth, "I should not go there."

He felt her grasp tighten as he swayed haphazardly.

"Okay, well, I have a friend who is a nurse; can he take a look at you?"

Loki felt himself begin to sway again so he grabbed on to her slender arms. He blinked away the black dots and concentrated on the mortal's face. He frowned slightly, attempting to uncover any trace of ill will or cruel interest that would provoke her to run tests on him that would only reveal that he wasn't human. Not that he cared if she knew or not. One mortal wouldn't ruin everything. He just didn't want their pesky government to attempt to track him or contain him as they did Thor. Not that they could, although in his current condition… he took in the innocent compassion on her face and nodded heavily, "Yes." he amended.

And then it all went black.

Penny's eyes widened as the man fell on top of her. She supported his weight for about three seconds when her legs began to buckle underneath her. "Oh dear lord!" she breathed as she slowly sunk to the ground with him in her arms. She pushed him off of her and hopped up to car, opening the back door.

"Oh mighty Allfather!" The man hissed, in what Penny assumed was some sort of curse as he awoke on the ground.

She made her way back to his side. "Ok, I'm going to get you into the car, but I'm going to need your help. And then I'm taking you to the hospital because you're obviously in poor shape."

Loki reeled in pain that seemed to be coming from every part of his body. He pushed the mortal away from him once more, making sure she was a safe distance from him. He looked to her vehicle and saw the opening where had intended to take him. He took in a deep breath and gritted his teeth. He used magic to swiftly propel himself into the vehicle. After he landed he let out a small cry of pain. He needed to rest. And eat. And drink. He turned to the mortal who was still crouched where he used to be, she was staring at him, dumbstruck. He tilted his head in what possibly could have been condescension if it weren't for the pain, "No hospital." He let his head fall back as he lost consciousness once more.

Penny stared. She heard herself meekly agree, "Okay." She shut his door and climbed into the front seat her eyes darting to the rear-view mirror as she stared at the man's unconscious form. She replayed everything in her mind. He had fallen from the sky. He had been wearing some sort of odd armour that he had miraculously changed into more acceptable clothing. Then he seemed to not know what a telephone wire was. And he refused to go to a hospital. And of course he seemed to somehow teleport into the back of her car. Penny took a deep breath and silently named the man Spaceman in her mind.

If today had been a normal day she would have called Becky and told her everything. But she couldn't; not anymore. She started the car grudgingly and began to drive back towards the city when she realized that she did have to call Becky. Groaning she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the number she knew off by heart.

When Loki awoke again the first thing he noticed was that he was moving, rather the vehicle was moving. He observed the outside world passing quickly by. He decided to remain still; allowing his eyes to roam over the innards of this 'car'. After a quick inspection his eyes fell on the mortal woman. She was watching the grey road but he could see the beginning of tears pricking at her eyes. She let out a morose groan and pulled the little talking device from her pocket. Loki watched her as she pulled it to her ear, an expectant look across her face.

"Hey Becky, it's me." Her voice sounded remarkable small.

He watched as she bit her lip and nodded, more tears appearing.

"Yes, I know. About the two of you. Just-

'Becky' must have cut her off because the woman stopped talked and shook her head bitterly.

"Forget it! Ok? Just forget it. Listen, Blake, he's in the hospital. It's kind of a long story. Well. No. There was this guy on a telephone wire and he fell on top of Blake. You can ask Blake about it. I'm sure he'll remember. If they let him out tonight, take him home with you. I can't see either of you right now… or preferably for the rest of my life."

She squinted and used the back of the hand that was holding the device to wipe away her tears. She kept it away from her ear for a moment; she took in a deep breath and lifted one end to her mouth, "Goodbye Becky."

Loki continued to study her as she began to press more buttons on the device. Again the pain returned to him, though he was able to stifle any movement, his eyebrows furrowed as a sudden thirst ripped at his throat. He closed his eyes. How long had he fallen? He listened to the woman's voice as she began to speak again.

"Hey Chris." She paused focusing on the road. "Ya listen I have a patient for you. He fell off a telephone wire onto Blake and refuses to go to the hospital, would you mind meeting me at my place?" she paused again, listening, "Great, you're a saviour. Literally. Blake is fine. Well, I don't know, he's at the hospital. We broke up. Ya. Ok see ya soon!" Her voice was filled with a venomous positivity.

She threw the device onto the seat beside her and returned her gaze forward.

Loki narrowed his eyes as he attempted to decipher this woman. He wasn't sure why she had repeated his ridiculous telephone wire story. He looked at her weary expression and he realized that it would be simpler for her just to tell the lie. He focused on his breathing for the rest of the ride. It calmed him and was an attempt at a distraction from the pain that was slowly dying down.

When they arrived 'Chris' was already there. The woman got out of the vehicle and shut her door. For a moment Loki was alone, he watched Chris hug her through the window. Then the woman turned back to the car and opened the door by his feet. He looked down at the two approaching mortals.

The woman made a small expression of surprise, "Oh, you're awake."

He didn't make any move as if he heard. Loki watched them wondering what they expected him to do. He slowly sat up, grimacing as the pain fluttered through his stiff body. Chris offered his hand. Loki looked up to him inspecting him quickly. He didn't take his hand but pushed himself out of the car. He stood for a moment but quickly realized his legs were unsteady. The mortals were on either side of him then, helping him into the woman's abode. For a brief moment the image of Sif and the Warriors Three entered his mind. He saw them as if they could see him now, laughing at his weakness. He grimaced in pain and hate. He allowed the mortals to seat him on a long comfortable cushioned seat inside the house. After they sat him down they both looked at him unsure of what to do.

Loki sighed, "I need water, and food."

The woman quickly scurried away with a surprisingly upbeat, "Coming right up!"

Mortal Chris took in his form, "Can you tell me what's going on?"

No. thought Loki instantly. You wouldn't believe me, and you would question my sanity… though you wouldn't be the first. He sighed, "I've been… traveling for quite some time-

"How long?" Mortal Chris interrupted him.

I don't know. "For a long time. I need rest and I need sustenance. I will be quite well after that."

Mortal Chris looked at him skeptically, "And the fall?"

Loki patiently hid his exasperation, "A bit bruised, but I think that the other man got the worst of it."

The woman came back with a big glass of water in her hand; offered it to him, "Just tap water I'm afraid but there is pizza warming up for you in the microwave."

Loki gratefully accepted the water and ignored that fact that over half of the words that the woman had just said sounded like nonsense to him. How had Thor done this?

He drank the water in its entirety and handed the empty glass back to the woman, "Another." She pursed her lips and nodded before exiting the room once more.

Mortal Chris moved closer, "I just want to make sure that you're not suffering from a concussion."

Loki fought his annoyance, "Very well."

Chris sat down on the chair across from Loki, "How's your breathing? Any difficulty?"

Loki shook his head, "No."

The nurse nodded, "And what about circulation wise, any pins and needles?" he said the last part with a smile.

Loki bristled at the tone Chris used, like he was talking to a child, "Perfectly fine." He murmured icily.

Chris smiled uneasily, "Ok. Now, where are you?"

Loki frowned, "What?"

Chris looked at him comfortingly, "Just some mental awareness questions."

Loki inclined his head, "Earth. In this woman's home." This was precisely why he did not want to go to the hospital.

Chris frowned slightly as the woman entered the room with another glass of water and some sort of food. She offered the plate to Loki. Loki gingerly picked up the warm food and brought it to his mouth. He decided that it was edible and continued to devour the rest of what she had given him. After he finished the woman silently handed him the water while watching him.

Mortal Chris produced a small circular item that generated light. He waited until Loki had finished his water and then said, "I just need to check your eyes." He lifted the small lamp and shone it in Loki's eyes. After a moment he seemed satisfied. "Are you feeling at all nauseous, have you gotten sick?"

Loki shook his head, "No. I'm actually quite hungry."

The woman's eyebrows shot up, "Still?" She took the glass from his hand and grabbed the empty plate. Mortal Chris followed her out of the room.

Loki could hear noises of their muffled conversation in the other room. He sat and pondered his next move.

The two mortals emerged a few minutes later.

Mortal Chris was the first to speak, "Well I don't think you're concussed, although you may be suffering from exhaustion." Chris turned to Penny and placed a hand on her shoulder that she shrugged off, "Call me if you need anything. Keep him awake for another hour or so. Tell me if he becomes unconscious again."

The woman nodded, "ya, ya, ya… Bye Chris, thanks for everything." The words left her mouth halfheartedly.

Chris nodded to Loki, "Take care." And then he left.

The woman walked him to the door and disappeared for a moment, only to return with another glass of water and plate and bowl of food. She sighed, "You ate all my pizza so here's some vegetable soup and some bread."

Loki accepted the food and began to eat.

The woman sat down on the chair across from him, watching him again. "My name's Penny by the way."

Loki looked up from his meal.

Penny squirmed under his gaze, "Penny Holden."

Loki used the napkin she had placed on the plate to wipe his mouth gingerly. "I am Loki. Odin-son."

He resumed his meal.


	3. Sleep Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny and Loki make a plan.

Penny watched Loki Odinson eat with utter fascination. He was still slightly haggard and perhaps a little worse for wear but he was conscious and eating. Her food. On her couch. The magic spaceman. She reached over to the coffee table grabbed her remote and turned on the television; gauging his reaction. Spaceman simply shifted his eyes over to the T.V. and studied it as he continued to eat.

She waited until he finished his meal and his water. She took the dishes into the kitchen and refilled his water glass for the third time and brought it back to him.

He accepted it from her with a nod of the head.

You're welcome. She amended for him in her thoughts. He was watching the TV. Keen eyes, which seemed to take in and understand more than she could, scanned the screen and the information pouring from it. She waited for about half an hour, watching the nightly news with him.

"So…"

Spaceman turned to her; eyes wide and endearing. He face was open, expectant.

Penny inhaled nervously, "Want to tell me what the hell is going on?" she kept her voice even.

Loki narrowed his eyes before glancing back to the TV.

Penny waited another moment, wondering if he'd speak. So far, she realized, he had rarely spoken to her, not unless someone else was present. She fidgeted in her seat. "Cause you didn't fall from the telephone wires."

His mouth twitched and she swore he was fighting back a smile. He turned back to her, "No, I did not."

Penny continued to stare, waiting.

Loki tilted his head and looked at her questioningly, "I'd like to go to New Mexico."

Penny looked at him, a puzzled expression across her face. Her mouth opened and closed, unsure of what to say. Finally she just shook her head, "Okay…"

She sat still for a moment. Then her eyes flickered to Spaceman and his quiet presence. She looked around her, all of the little mementos of Blake and even Becky spread across the room. While she had been fixing up Loki's soup Chris had revealed that he knew about the affair but didn't know how to tell her. It was a significantly smaller betrayal and she knew that Chris would have been in some desperately awkward position where he couldn't make anyone happy but still. It hurt. She thought about facing it all and dealing with everyone's reactions and sympathies. It was Blake's tiny townhouse. She'd have to leave.

She'd have to leave.

Hmmm.

Penny walked over to the small shelf that housed the liquor. She felt Spaceman's eyes on her as she poured herself some of Blake's whiskey. She made a face as the liquid burned down her throat. Turning to him, feeling a little bit better, and a little bit warmer, she smiled, "How about this. You tell me where you came from or whatever happened and I'll take you to New Mexico. By car. It's about a four days drive. And then we have to get to wherever you need to go in New Mexico."

Loki hesitated, he was certain that there were faster ways. But he needed a little adapting and recuperating time. And it wouldn't hurt to have a guide to the strange and ineffective ways of Earth. He smiled, "I accept."

Penny smiled. "Good. Ok! This is going to happen." She twitched nervously. "Ok, I'm going to Google how to get to New Mexico and you're going to tell me your story."

Loki watched as she sat back down and opened a rectangular shape that was on the table, as she opened it, it lit up like the television. Mortals and their technology. He felt curiosity slip into his mind, "What are you doing? Oogling?"

Penny chuckled, "No… you see we have this internet thing," she looked up to see if there was any recognition on his face; there wasn't. "And people put information on it… and I'm not exactly sure how it works but if you need to find something, some website where the information is stored you go to this other website called Google, or Bing, or Yahoo, or whatever, there's tons of these sites. And you type in what you're searching for and it shows you websites with that information."

As she relayed this information she was searching for the directions she would need.

A hungry look entered in to Loki's eyes as he learned of this delightful tool. His voice dropped to just above a whisper, "Search for…" he thought for a moment calling up the name, "Jane. Jane Foster. I believe she is a scientist."

Penny eyed him warily, "Okay…" she began looking through the results. "Ah! Here we go, Jane Foster, Astrophysicist… oh hey, they have the address of her lab… in New Mexico. Is this where we're headed?"

Loki smirked at the ease at which the information had been discovered, "Yes. That is where we are headed." Oh brother, we shall see what it means to be worthy.

Penny entered in the address and received directions; she began to copy them on a note pad. She glanced at Loki whose face was filled with some sort of subdued sombre delight. "Well good sir," she offered playfully, "I believe you owe me a story."

Loki glanced up at her, clearly in a better mood, "Of course. I come from the realm of Asgard. I fell as the bifrost gave way. Using my skills as a magician I was able to navigate through the realms and reach earth." He didn't say it with a flourish or use magic to influence her mind he simply stated facts, the how and why were not necessary to reveal.

"Am I supposed to understand?"

Loki frowned slightly, tired and ready to rest, "Search me."

Penny raised an eyebrow and blushed at the ambiguous context of his words, "What?"

Loki nearly rolled his eyes, a very mortal habit he knew, but at the sight of her blush he straightened and suggested quietly, "Type in my name."

There were a few moments of silence as Penny, flushed with embarrassment, attempted to find the correct spelling of Loki. It was familiar, the name, Loki, she didn't know why, but it didn't take her long to spell it correctly. She couldn't even remember what he had said his last name was but Loki seemed to suffice. After a few more minutes of reading and rereading she looked at him disbelievingly. "You're a god?"

"Some believed that. They were in awe of our strength and powers and abilities. But time has passed; I understand that your science and technology have become the ways of your world. There are very few that would hold that belief now."

Penny continued to stare, "So… that's why you can do the thing where you like just appeared in my car, and why you can randomly change your clothes."

Loki nodded, not bothering to get into specifics, "I am weary."

Penny took in a deep breath, "Okay." She attempted to process the information. "Well I will be sleeping here on this couch. You have a choice between the couch you are currently sitting on or the bed of betrayal where my ex-boyfriend and best friend did god-knows-what however many times."

Loki half-smiled; "I'll take the couch."

Penny grinned bitterly, "Wise choice."

After gathering blankets and pillows and turning off the lights and television Penny lay down on her couch in her pajamas, "Goodnight… god of lies and mischief."

Loki smirked in the darkness, he had wondered if his renowned trickery would make an appearance in Earth's technological information. He glimpsed at the figure across from him, unsure if should respond. He quietly returned, "Sleep well."

Penny awoke, stiff from spending the night on the sofa. She got up and stretched her arms out over her head, yawning. Her sleepy eyes drifted over to Spaceman where he lay sleeping. He looked funny lying on the couch, she hadn't realized how tall he was, but he was definitely too tall for the couch. She felt slightly guilty; perhaps she shouldn't have suggested the bed as the bed of betrayal. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and quietly stood and tiptoed to her bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and brushed her teeth. Looking at herself in the mirror she decided that she would have a good day today. She would make a fresh start.

First off, she waltzed into the kitchen, picked up her phone and quit her job. It felt liberating. Then she stole up the stairs and into her bedroom where she began packing her clothes for her trip to New Mexico. She had a brief "wtf" moment where she nearly had a panic attack at the prospect of what she was doing. But she calmed herself down. She was going on an adventure. And she was going to embrace this willingness and live in the moment. Then she called her mom.

Surprisingly her mother had been strangely supportive simply saying, "Alright sweetie, you do what you need to do. You need a break… Blake is a jerk."

After the phone call she snuck downstairs to check on her house guest. He was still sleeping, sprawled across the sofa.

She went back upstairs and showered and got dressed. She returned to the kitchen to make some bacon and eggs. She smirked as she cooked the bacon. Bacon had been one of Blake's "no-no foods". It had been a small act of defiance when she had bought it. He was not pleased in her choice of the greasy, fatty, food. Now I can eat all the freaking bacon that I want. She started to do a little celebratory bacon dance when she noticed that she wasn't alone.

She jumped, spatula in hand, when she saw Loki in the doorway. "Oh… hey." She cleared her throat, "I'm just making some eggs and bacon."

The Spaceman glanced at the pan before exiting the kitchen.

Penny bit her lip to keep from laughing. What a strange fellow, she thought; mocking his accent in her mind. Curious, she quietly crept to the kitchen doorway, poking her head out to watch him in the living room. He was at her bookshelf, his long fingers tapping the books, he seemed to find something of interest and he pulled a book out and opened it. He grew still; she noticed an eyebrow rise before he turned his head to her. Penny smiled cheekily and quickly fled over to the stove. She threw some bread in the toaster and began to prepare their meal.

Moments later she called out to him, "Breakfast is served."

Loki entered the kitchen, Penny gestured to where she had set a place at the table and she put his plate down. She grabbed her plate and sat across from him. His calculating eyes were on her as she began to eat. He watched as she created a sandwich with the toast, eggs, and bacon. He did the same.

Penny looked at him cheerily, "So, how did you sleep?"

"Well."

Penny smirked, "Liar. I slept on the same type of couch and I'm sore all over. Not to mention you fell from space and you're too tall for the couch."

Loki raised his dancing eyes to meet hers, quietly admitting, "I could barely move my neck when I awoke."

She chuckled softly while he smiled; their eyes remaining locked. After a moment Penny let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and stood up. "Would you mind bringing the dishes over to the sink?" she pointed it out to him as she vacated the kitchen.

Loki paused before doing as she requested, it was an absurd request but he complied; though he wasn't sure why he did. She returned soon enough, and laid a map out over the table.

Penny pulled a highlighter from a jar on the counter and began highlighting the route they would be taking. She felt Loki's presence draw near as he began to study the map. She completed their course and pulled another highlighter to mark where they would need to stop at night. Before marking the third stop she paused, "Oh hey! That's where my friend Sharon lives." Penny pointed to a town that lay alongside of their route. She stared at the spot, "We used to be best friends in high school." She glanced at the rest of the route, "Okay… it'll probably mean more driving on the fourth day but we're going to stop here and visit Sharon because I would really like to talk to her. And it will be fun. You will have fun."

Loki sincerely doubted that statement. He wasn't exactly sure what Penny meant by 'fun'. He kept his mouth closed however, and allowed her to mark off Sharon's town as their last stop before Jane Foster's lab. After she did that she announced that she was off to call Sharon and promptly left the room. Loki studied the map carefully; memorizing every detail. He wasn't exactly sure what he was hoping to find once he reached Jane Foster. He was probably going to tell her that Thor had destroyed the bridge; although he was sure that Thor would have Heimdall's eye on Jane. And Loki wasn't ready to be discovered, not yet. Although he was interested in this S.H.I.E.L.D operation, their swift discovery and attempt to possess Mjolnir was intriguing. He wondered what other powerful artifacts or weapons of the nine realms that they might possess.

Loki turned his head when he heard a noise at the door. He quickly crept over to the kitchen doorway where he could see the front door; it opened to reveal a bandaged Blake and another woman that he didn't recognize.

Penny came bounding down the stairs, "Oh goodness, I think Sharon is planning a night of fun for us; plus she said we could stay-

She stopped when she saw who was at the door. "Blake. Becky." She gave each of them a nod before descending the stairs completely. She moved to stand in front of the entrance area.

Becky made a move towards Penny but stopped as Penny held up her hand. Penny took in a deep breath, "Ok. For the next week or so I'm taking a trip to New Mexico. I've packed my stuff and I'm taking the car today. I'll come to get my stuff probably at the end of a week's time. We're leaving in like twenty minutes so I'm going to ask you to leave and come back later."

Blake frowned, "Who's we?" He took a step forward and in doing so noticed Loki's form in the kitchen doorway, "Who is that?"

Becky also snuck a look at the stranger.

Penny gritted her teeth. "That is my new friend, and road trip partner Loki. Or Telephone Wire guy."

Becky's mouth made a little 'o' of surprise and Blake looked at Penny incredulously, "Penny, you can't be serious! This is ridiculous. And I can't remember a thing about this telephone wires incident."

Penny frowned, "Get out and come back when I'm gone."

Blake and Becky both began to protest, Penny attempted to silence them to no avail. Aggravated; she disappeared down the stairs for a moment.

Blake looked at Loki fiercely; "If you hurt her…" he let the words hang there.

Loki looked down subtly, intending to appear harmless instead of revealing the true contempt he felt towards Blake and Becky.

Penny re-emerged from the basement with a baseball bat, "Out."

Blake and Becky turned to her in disbelief and continued to stare at her; unmoving.

Penny lifted that baseball bat overhead and yelled, "Out! Now!"

The two betrayers scuttled out the door.

Penny lowered the bat, breathing heavily; she turned to Loki, "Sorry about. I'm not actually crazy… just kind of pissed off really."

The corners of Loki's lips twitched, she was endlessly amusing.

"So," Penny dropped the bat down the stairs and gave him a winning smile, "Let's get out of here."


	4. We're the Good Guys?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny and Loki argue and grow closer.

The first hour of four day trek was driven in silence. Penny had given Loki a rundown of the car, pointing out the lock and window buttons and now she glued her eyes to the road, happy to get on the highway and focus on what was ahead of her instead of the horrible emotion insanity that was behind her. Her companion barely moved but his eyes were open and aware, watching the world fly by them at a remarkable speed.

Surprisingly it was Loki who broke the silence, "I like this vehicle; it is convenient."

Penny shrugged, "The combined pollution created by all of these vehicles and the daily pollution of everything else we use in modern life is killing our planet."

Loki's expression didn't change; he just blinked.

She shrugged again, "Whatever, I don't want to talk about it. Do you mind if we listen to music?"

Loki shook his head and kept his curiosity to himself; does she have a bard packed in her traveling bag? He watched intrigued as she pulled a small flat rectangular device that lit up like the TV and computer. Of course: technology. He glanced at Penny imploringly, "What would happen if all your technological devices stopped working?"

Penny turned to him, "You mean me in particular-

"All of it. The world."

She shrugged, "Panic, maybe, chaos probably."

Loki fought a smile, That could be fun.

Penny finished connecting her iPod and started playing a playlist that she had created earlier that day. It was called 'Men Suck'. It featured hits from Rihanna, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin, and Carrie Underwood among others. At first she just hummed along, quietly singing every odd word, but after bemused assurance from Loki that she was not disturbing him she began to sing along, half-heartedly and not very well. It was because of her detached singing that Loki flinched slightly when she suddenly blasted 'Before He Cheats' when it came on. After delivering a heart wrenching performance and lowering the volume Penny took a deep breath and resumed her quiet humming.

She stole a glance to Loki, whose eyes were widened and were regarding her in a way that one may regard a rabid dog. She winked at him, "I'm a little emotionally unstable at the moment… protein bar?"

She offered the box.

Loki hesitantly took the box and pulled two bars out, examining the wrapper. Penny showed him the best spot to rip from and took an opened bar from him and began to eat. Loki did the same only to instantly spit it out back into the box.

Penny turned to him, surprised and amused.

Loki's expression was one of utter disgust, "That was not food. That cannot be called food."

Penny smiled and shrugged, "It's healthy."

Loki lowered his chin, "You cannot mean to tell me that you eat that willingly."

She looked at the bar in her hand, "It is pretty bad." she consented.

In response Loki threw the rest of his bar into the box and put out his hand for Penny's. She hesitated for a moment but then handed him the bar; ignoring the small sensation she received when their hands met. Loki then proceeded to lower his window and throw the box of protein bars into the ditch along the side of the highway. He raised his window with a smile; content.

Penny's darted back and forth between the road and Spaceman, her mouth dropped in shock, "You can't… don't go throwing food out the window! You wasted it!"

Loki gave her a condescending glance, "No one should eat that. The resources it took to create those bars; that was a waste."

She chuckled, "Fair enough."

Silence reigned again as Penny listened to the music. After a while she sighed, "You know, I never got to have my big angry moment with Blake, I mean I suppose I still have time but, I didn't call him names and I didn't break dishes or burn any of his stuff…"

Loki furrowed his eyebrows, "Is that customary?"

Penny laughed, "No… no. But he did something awful and sometimes people react crazily and do something mean back… maybe it's not the best response but I'm sure it's cathartic."

"You threatened him with a club," Loki offered.

Penny grinned, "Oh yeah… that I did."

After many hours of driving and stopping twice for food Penny pulled the car into their first hotel. She checked them in and carried her bag to their room while Loki followed her wordlessly; observing.

Once they were settled he turned to her, "I noticed that you are exchanging a good deal of currency."

Penny nodded sheepishly, lunch and dinner had been pricier than expected.

He held out his hand, "May I take a look at your paper 'dollars'."

She shrugged and dug through her purse until she pulled out her wallet and offered him a twenty.

Loki studied it carefully; he turned it over in his hands and let magic flow in and out of every part of the bill.

Penny watched patiently, eyes widening in surprise as she saw the faintest shimmer of green roll around the money.

Loki's eyes were shining when he returned the bill to her.

Penny accepted it tentatively; unsure of what he might do next.

Half-smiling, Loki waved his hands and another twenty appeared.

Penny stared, transfixed as he flicked his wrists once more and another appeared.

She looked up at his face, "For real?"

Loki smiled, delighted at her wonderment. "It is real. I will fund the remainder of the journey." And with that he set the two bills on the table and exited into the bathroom.

Penny gingerly lifted up the new twenty and examined it. It had all the proper security checks. Her eyes drifted over to the bathroom door. What just happened? Figuring she had enough time she quickly and discreetly changed into her pyjamas. In time Loki returned, his own apparel changed into more comfortable bed-clothes, even though he hadn't taken a bag in with him... he didn't even have bag… he didn't have anything. Penny then made use of the bathroom, the single thought of 'Who is this guy?' echoing in her mind.

It occurred to her, as she brushed her teeth, that even though Loki certainly was intriguing, and novel, and undeniably attractive and had, no doubt, required her aid, she had no idea who he was. He was from some other realm, capable of magic, and known for trickery. She didn't know this person and here she was alone in a hotel room with him. She took a deep breath and gathered courage as she left the bathroom. He was watching TV when she came out; sitting on the end of his bed observing the local news. Penny made her way to her own bed, "So. Who are you?"

Loki turned, his eyes narrowing, "Loki, Odin-Son."

Penny nodded, "Yeah, yeah, yeah… but are you… I don't know… a good guy?"

It's a matter of perspective, Loki responded in his thoughts instantly, instead he looked at Penny comfortingly, "You're concerned for your safety."

Penny didn't miss the fact the he didn't answer question, "Well yeah… I mean… can I trust you?"

Loki didn't even blink, "Of course."

Penny recoiled instantly, not comforted by his confident tone, "You're not going to hurt me, are you?"

Loki's eyes sobered. "No." he promised.

Penny looked away from the mesmerizing icy orbs. Something about him caused her to feel uneasy, she couldn't trust him. She felt that now, but at the same time she believed him when he said he wouldn't hurt her. She gave him a lackadaisical smile, "Ok not extremely reassuring but we're going to let that one slide. Can I turn off the TV?"

Loki nodded without looking at her.

Penny proceeded to do so and turned off the lights as she got under her covers. She shook her temporary feeling of unease away, "Goodnight god of lies and mischief."

"Sleep well." Loki murmured, detached. He glimpsed quickly at Penny's form. Her sudden questioning of his integrity was unnerving; it was so much simpler when she had just innately trusted him for no reason. He lay down in the darkness pondering what had set her off. The magic? But she had looked at him with such wonder. He had enjoyed the look of delight on her face as her performed the simple spell. Even more unnerving was his sudden resolve to keep his word to her. His humble assurance of 'no' had been sincere. He wouldn't hurt her, he didn't want to. His eyes narrowed once more, he shouldn't care. She was a mortal, what did it matter if she got hurt? He shook his head; he was dwelling on this far longer than needed. She was no Jane Foster to his Thor. And he refused to allow her to become whatever that woman had become to his brother.

For some reason this resolve was nowhere near as sincere as his earlier promise to Penny.

The next morning was uneventful. Penny used Loki's magic cash to pay for their hotel, and vowed that they would stay at a nicer place next. There was a complimentary breakfast and Penny introduced Loki to cereal; after some pancakes and some 'Mini Wheats' they were on their way.

In the car, Penny noticed Loki subtly moving his head and stretching his neck, "You okay there? Is your neck sore? Did you not sleep well?"

Loki became still and slid his eyes over to meet her, "I slept well enough."

Penny smirked, "But…"

Loki sighed, dismissing the notion that Penny was far too observant, "This vehicle is convenient… however it is becoming more uncomfortable."

Penny nodded and with false cheeriness added, "And we still have two more days to go!" She glanced over to him again, "Hey how are you feeling? Two nights ago you were fading out of consciousness."

Loki grimaced, "I am quite well now. Nourishment and rest has done its duty."

Penny laughed, "Liar! Oh my goodness, you can tell me, no judgement here. Something is up with your chest; it was really bothering you when you first… landed and I can tell even now that it is still messed up or something."

Loki scowled, "I have recovered quite nicely, and I have nothing more than a minor infliction upon my chest."

Penny's smile disappeared, "Oh no, it's not in your lungs or anything is it? You're not gonna have an asthma attack and need medical help from me because I do not remember CPR-

He shook his head and cut off her slightly panicky rant, "Nothing internal. I was… fighting my brother. He placed his hammer on me."

Penny gasped, "He hit you with a hammer! In the chest! You have a brother?"

Loki shifted his weight slightly in the seat, "Yes, I have a brother." Though I suppose not in actuality. "He did not hit me with the hammer. He put it on top of me. It is extremely heavy."

"Oh… so it's ok now, not going to flare up any time soon?"

"No."

The conversation came to a lull then, Loki lost momentarily in memory and Penny trying to remember something she felt was nagging at her. After a couple of minutes her eyes lit up, "Wait! Hammer, and Norse gods, the one with the lightning! Ra? No that's Egyptian. And it's not lightning, thunder! Thor! Your brother is Thor?"

Loki was only slightly offended that she knew who Thor was, "Yes."

"Isn't he like the king or something?"

Loki was a little more than slightly offended at this comment, "No. He is not."

Penny scrunched her face, "Oh, well he's like a big deal or something right? Who's the king then?"

Loki sighed, "Thor is revered by many. Odin is our king."

Penny didn't miss the acidic tone he used when he said 'revered' and then another thought popped in her head, "Wait, Odin, as in you are Loki Odinson… son of Odin?"

Loki gave her a small nod.

Penny attempted to push her excitement away, "So you're a prince?"

A far-off look entered Loki's eyes as he answered honestly, "I am the son of a king. Yes."

Penny bit her lip, "Should I be calling you 'your majesty' or 'his Royal Highness Loki, prince of… Aslan."

Amusement spread across Loki's features, "Asgard. And no, Loki will suffice."

Penny grinned, impressed, "Cool. Very cool."

She turned her iPod on shuffle and was silent as she processed this new information. It was certainly interesting; she was beyond thrilled to learn more about her mysterious road trip partner. There was definitely more to be learned, she could tell that there were things Spaceman wasn't telling her, things that she thought were possibly bothering him. It was because of this that she hadn't pressed him for more information about his brother. She recognised the name Thor, and she remembered that he had a hammer but other than that she didn't know much. Other than the fact that she had thought he was the leader of the gods… which was not true. She had caught on to the animosity that Loki had towards his brother, although she supposed it was rather obvious as he had mentioned that they had been fighting. Penny guessed it wasn't some squabble that involved Thor borrowing Loki's favourite cape without asking. He was difficult to figure out. She wondered if she should even bother attempting to decipher all of the little subtleties that were beginning to give him away. She wasn't even sure what they gave away. Her thoughts were cut short as a Bif Naked song began to play from the car speakers.

'Spaceman'. It was the insanely catchy song, 'Spaceman'. Her eyes widened and her lips pursed as she attempted to suppress laughter. With each 'oh-awoah-aaha-aaha-ahaa' she felt herself losing the battle to hide her giggling, when the chorus returned she was practically hyperventilating whilst preventing the unwanted chortling.

When she stole a glance over at her own Spaceman she was startled to find that he was looking at her intently with an expression of bemused enjoyment.

For a moment his expression hardened, "Are you laughing at me?"

Penny sobered instantly, "No! No, no, it's just this song…"

The icy look vanished and the mirth returned, "Care to share?"

Penny's mouth twitched, "Did you mean to rhyme there?"

"No. What about the song?"

Penny cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair, "Well, when you first came. You fell out of the sky and you could do crazy things and you were wearing a metal outfit… so, before I knew your name, I called you Spaceman in my head." She smiled pleasantly.

Loki looked out beyond the road, "Spaceman. What a very mortal thought."

Penny shrugged, shaking off his condescending tone on 'mortal', "And then this song came on and it was just funny in the moment."

Loki raised an eyebrow before watching his window again.

Penny smiled and turned her full attention back to the road.

Loki stole a glance back to Penny. She was a charming little creature. She was funny, both intentionally and even when she didn't realize it. He hid his own smile. Spaceman. She had called him Spaceman in her head, which would imply that she had been thinking of him. Which, of course she had been thinking of him. She had taken him in and was now driving him. But she had clearly and poorly been attempting to stifle laughter. An interesting thought entered his head; it was possible that she was as amused by him as he was by her.

Suddenly an irritating buzzing noise erupted from Penny's purse. With one hand on the wheel she dug through the purse until she pulled out her talking device, and pressed a button, lifting it up to her ear. Penny turned the music down and Loki listened to the side of the conversation he could hear, studying Penny's reactions. After a quick greeting that informed him it was the mortal Chris on the other end of the conversation Penny assured him that she was doing fine and that the journey was progressing nicely. She was quiet for a moment before surprise absorbed her countenance. She swallowed nervously and threw in a half-hearted "Oh really? I can't imagine why… yes that's a little unnerving." Loki watched her carefully, on guard. He heard her offer Chris assurances once again that she was fine and that her journey would continue as planned. Apparently Chris wasn't pleased as Penny's voice became argumentative, "it's a simple misunderstanding Chris." She then asked him not to worry before promising to call him with updates of her safety. She said goodbye and hit a button on the phone, dropping it in the cup holder.

She sighed and turned to him, "Well Spaceman. The government has taken an interest in you. Chris is extremely worried, understandably… he doesn't know you fell from the sky."

Loki's eyes lit up, "S.H.I.E.L.D."

Penny nodded, "Yes, I think that's what he said, anyways they know where we're headed so there is a very good chance they'll find us sooner or later, how do you know about them?"

Loki eyed her cautiously, "My brother, Thor, was cast out of Asgard and sent here; very recently."

Penny frowned, "Cast out?"

"He acted recklessly and foolishly, Father was… upset."

Penny made an uneasy face, "Yikes, is he one of those strict dads?"

Loki ignored her, "And then Thor returned, I know of some of his dealings here on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved."

Penny guessed, "And he met Jane Foster."

Loki nodded, impressed at her ability to piece it together.

She took a deep breath, "So we're going to stop and talk to these Shield people when they meet us?"

Loki shook his head, "No. They should not be made aware of my presence. Not yet."

Penny decided not to ask in-depth questions, "So, what am I supposed to say?"

He smiled, "Tell them I simply disappeared."

She raised her eyebrows, "And you'll…"

In response Loki vanished.

Penny gasped in surprise glancing frantically all around her. She looked at the road ahead and narrowed her eyes, searching for the missing deity. She took a sharp intake of breath when she felt the trace of a finger slip down her arm. She shivered at his touch, smiling nervously, "Ok… that is actually kind of terrifying." And in no way thrilling or alluring. No way… at all… oh my. "Can you reappear?"

Loki reappeared.

She took in a deep breath, "Wow, that's… impressive."

Loki merely nodded, briefly placing a hand upon his chest before returning his gaze back out the window. He moved his hand from the remembrance of Mjolnir and placed it on the window sill. He stared at the hand. He hadn't missed the unexpected shiver from Penny. He looked at the outside world once more. He couldn't tell if the shiver was one of fear or of a simple chill or perhaps even delight at his touch. He tried to forget it; to push the thought from his mind but when he did this he only recalled her heightened breath and nervous smile.

Hours later they pulled up to the second hotel.

Penny had been mulling over the type of hotel room they might like, she offered the choice to Loki, "Basically we could probably get a suite of some kind since you're paying or I suppose we could get separate rooms even."

Loki's eyes shot to hers, "Is that what you desire?"

She immediately responded, "No!" she paused lowering the intensity of her voice, "No, I was just saying we could…" she let her eyes wander over to his uncertainly, "I mean it would probably be best if we were in the same hotel room, you know, for convenience and speed."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. may appear." Loki offered.

Penny nodded, "Exactly! Ok so, one suite… double bed suite… do they make that? I've never really stayed in a fancy hotel room."

They did make that. Penny was delighted to have an entire king-sized bed to herself.

After ordering room service and watching the television for an hour Penny began to prepare for bed. She brushed her teeth and put on pyjamas and made her way over to her giant bed. Before turning off the lights she turned to Loki, "Hey, I was just wondering, what did you mean today when you said 'what a very mortal thought'?" She copied his tone when he had said it.

Loki shrugged, "I meant nothing by it. You are a mortal."

"Yes but why was 'Spaceman' a very mortal thought?"

Loki opened his mouth for a moment before speaking, "Mortals are… ignorant of the world beyond them, it was very mortal of you to imagine me as something that mortals themselves have imagined."

"Oh…" Penny hadn't thought of it that way. Something was still bugging her, "Just because we may not know about worlds beyond our own doesn't mean we're any less significant… we're not stupid… well not all of us anyways."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "I never said you were."

Penny frowned, "No… but the way you said it… like you're better than us."

Loki pursed his lips, "It is a mortal phrase, I believe, that knowledge is power."

"Yes." Penny amended reluctantly, "But they are other powers too."

Loki looked at her expectantly.

Penny ran a head through her hair, "Like the spirit of mankind, we have the ability of great perseverance and dedication."

Loki waved his hand, "So do Asgardians, and many others in the nine realms."

Penny frowned, "Maybe but we're unique right? There isn't another world like ours."

Loki shook his head.

"Right, so. We're special."

Loki waited a moment to see if there was more, "And?"

"And that's important." She finished adamantly.

Loki's expression seemed unimpressed, "There is no worth or power in being special."

Penny's frustration grew, "What do you mean no worth? We are capable of such greatness and, yes, great destruction I know but there's a weird balance thing happening there."

Loki simply shook his head, his voice rising slightly, "And within decades your lives are over and the earth keeps spinning as its people make the same discoveries and mistakes."

Penny's eyes widened, "It doesn't mean we're worthless, we're just here living or trying to anyways!"

"What does your race have to offer?"

Penny's eyes darted around the room without seeing, "We offer our great capacity to do these things and we can hope, we can always give ourselves hope! And we can love, we can love so much!"

Loki turned bitterly, "Look where that got you."

He regretted it instantly.

Penny looked as if she had been hit with his words. Her lip trembled briefly before she hit the light switch off violently and pulled her covers over herself. She hesitated for a moment before spitting out, "Goodnight god of lies, and mischief."

She said the words as if they were curses.

Loki stared at her in the darkness, wishing he could take back the simple phrase. His frustration and annoyance had grown as he listened to her defend the race that had changed his brother into someone his father thought was worthy enough to possess Mjolnir once more. He hadn't kept his anger in check and found a successful route to ensure she would stop the pointless arguing. Loki had always been careful with words, silver-tongued, they called him; never one to speak without thinking. He always knew exactly what to say... a feeling of dread settled in his stomach as the image of the pain on Penny's face flashed in front of him. He whispered earnestly to her still form, "Forgive me… sleep well Penny."

Penny made no indication that she had heard him. She listened to him lie down in his own bed. What he had said was cruel and the whole argument was stupid. She didn't want to forgive him, she didn't want to shrug and say 'ok, no problem'. But she had seen the immediate regret and she had even seen the hurt in his eyes as she argued with him. She could tell that he was also arguing internally as well. There was no doubt in her mind that he was sad. She had seen it in his eyes, from the very beginning, and it had awoken a compassionate side in her that was fuelling their travels. It was this compassion that allowed her to forgive him, nearly instantly. But she was still upset. She would make him pay a little bit for his thoughtless words.

Loki awoke the next morning before Penny did. He sat up in his bed and scanned her sleeping form, his eyes resting on her face. She was beautiful, there was no denying it. Her soft dark chocolate waves splayed across the pillows framing her quietly stunning face; small yet full lips, a sweet round nose and eyes currently hidden behind eyelids that, if opened, would reveal a deep emerald colour that he was beginning to find mesmerizing. She wasn't striking exactly, her beauty wasn't harsh or diverting as it was in some. Instead, Loki felt that he could simply stare at her for hours. She looked so lovely lying there. He felt a slight aching when he remembered how mad she would be at him. He sighed and got up, dressing himself and picking up the room service menu all in the same second. He paused when he heard Penny stirring; he turned to her with hopeful eyes.

Her eyes opened and nearly immediately flew to the bed across from her, for a moment she looked saddened that he wasn't there but then seemed to recall the previous night's argument. Sensing his presence, she turned to him with an angry frown on her face. With a measured huff she got up out of her bed and grabbed her bag, storming into the bathroom.

He ordered and received breakfast while she showered. He heard her turn on the air device that she used to dry her hair before she cursed loudly and shut it off. Intrigued and perhaps a bit worried, Loki made his way to the bathroom door, where more cursing could be heard.

He hesitated, "Is… everything alright?"

A clearly irritated response came from the other side of the door, "Yes! Go away!"

Loki sighed and began to move from the door. However he stopped when a small resigned 'Wait.' met his ears.

Penny's voice continued to travel over to him, muffled by the door, "I need your help okay? But first I need you to know that I'm still mad at you. Okay, come in."

Loki opened the door gingerly, his eyes widening at Penny before him. She was wrapped in a towel, hair still wet, and she was bent over the sink attached to the hair-drying mechanism through her own hair.

She looked at him helplessly, "I don't know how, but it has like a retractable wire or something and my hair got stuck to the dryer itself and then I put my hand on the wall for balance which pressed a button that pulled the dryer back and now I'm stuck and I can't reach the stupid thing."

Loki's mouth twitched.

Penny saw this, "No! No laughing, please."

Loki shook his head with a small smile, before glancing at her solemnly, recalling their argument, he offered slowly, "I am sorry. It was not my intention to hurt you."

Penny grimaced, "Yes it was. Why else would you say what you did?"

Loki smiled grimly, "You're right. The argument… it was frustrating; I wanted to end it."

"So you shut me up." She concluded.

Loki thought about attempting to deny it, but decided against it, knowing that she could somehow see through him, "I am truly sorry, I wish that I could take it back. I know that I cannot."

Penny sighed, "Well I'm extremely uncomfortable, maybe if you help me out I might think about forgiving you."

Loki fought his smile as he moved towards her, studying her current predicament.

As the untangling procedure began Loki had to almost wrap his arm over Penny's shoulder in order to reach the mechanism. He gently moved her head closer to his chest so he could better examine the problem. Penny found herself blushing, she was so close to him, and she was only wearing a towel, "There should be a black button on the side."

Loki was quick to reply, "There are three black buttons." He pressed one. It pulled Penny's hair in further.

"Ow!" she hissed.

Loki had to move in closer to reach around to the next button which, happily freed Penny. She sprang up, glad to be unrestricted, only to find herself practically in Loki's arms, hyper aware of her current appearance. For a moment neither of them moved their breathing shallow and matching each other's pace. Penny stared up at him, "Well… um…" her eyes fell to his lips without thinking, "You're forgiven."

Loki's eyes followed hers and he found himself doing the same before his eyes widened and he pulled away quickly, turning from her. "Right. Thank-you… breakfast is here."

He quickly exited the bathroom and went to sit at the table; his hands trembling.

Penny was frozen where she was. She blinked slowly. Oh my god. Oh my god. Ok. Three days ago, you had a boyfriend who you lived with and then you discovered that men suck. And this stupid prince insulted you yesterday! And forget about him and his special powers and his charming personality and his dreamy eyes… forget the fact that you'll continue to spend at least the next twenty-four hours with him glued to your side… with his pretty lips and his strong arms… She shook herself and shut the door.

She looked at herself in the mirror and attempted to slow her still racing heart; she could still feel his warmth,Oh my god.


	5. Let's get a few 90's References in here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny has a chat with her old friend Sharon.

Penny dressed and tied her hair back in a fog. She was… confused. Confused at how comfortable she felt around Loki, I guess a constant 48 hours nearly attached at the hip does that, confused about how much she enjoyed his peculiar presence and adorable fascination to the world around him, and she was incredibly confused at the strange feelings that were beginning to stir inside of her. She just wanted to be close to him, all of the time. She shook away the tingling sensation at the remembrance of his touch. You don't know him. You're just upset over Blake. She realized hesitantly that Blake seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. She sighed helplessly, on with the show. She opened the bathroom door and made her way over to the table.

Loki was sitting with his eyes on his food, as she sat down he glanced up at her with a small smile. He gestured to their plates, "Eggs and bacon."

Penny smiled naturally, Ok, no awkwardness, everything is fine. "Ok. Yummy, let's eat."

Breakfast passed with little conversation; both Loki and Penny grateful that whatever had happened in the bathroom hadn't thrown off their growing friendship. They made no more mention of the previous evening's argument.

There were moments during the meal when Loki caught himself watching Penny, perhaps a little too intently. Her liberated hair was pulled back as it usually was when she prepared for driving. He noticed that she still seemed a little jittery but was pleased to recognise that she had appeared to have forgiven him. He wondered if she could sense that he was still slightly on edge. Being so close to her… it was indescribable. There was no use denying it. She was sensational and he could feel himself being pulled under her spell with no sight of the surface. For a moment their eyes met and the heat from the bathroom incident returned. Penny blushed slightly and tore her gaze away from his, suddenly finding interest in her eggs. Loki sat back in his chair, not bothering to look away from her. What was he going to do about these unbidden feelings? He was beginning to care for her and there wasn't much he could do about it; wasn't much he wanted to do about it. Besides, Penny was probably just reacting the way she was because she was still hurt from her relationship with Blake. He resumed eating, he simply wouldn't let whatever was developing here affect his plans. Simple.

After checking out of the hotel the pair made their way to the car; Loki carrying Penny's bag for her. She unlocked the car but paused before she got in as she saw Loki looking at his own door with reluctance, then looking around him; a look of bittersweet acceptance on his face. She laughed quietly, "You okay there princey?"

Loki shot her an annoyed glance, "I'm fine."

Penny smiled, "Dreading the return to the car? Well it is the inevitable." She stuck her tongue out at him before disappearing into the driver's seat.

Loki couldn't help but smile at the amusing face she made. He took one more breath of fresh air and joined Penny in the car.

Hours later, Penny was drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, inattentively singing along to the music. Her eyes lit up when they drove past a road sign. "We're here! This is where Sharon lives! Map! Get the map." She watched as Loki pulled the map up from the middle compartment, "No, not that map, the little one, no not the New Mexico one, yes! That one!"

She glanced at the map continuing on the route that she had studied over lunch earlier.

Loki held the map out for her, "You have known Sharon for many years?"

Penny nodded, "Ya, we went to school together, we were best friends from age seven to eighteen. And then we went away to different schools. We still talked, visited each other. Wasn't the same though, you know? Anyways, I met Blake, moved in with him. She's engaged to this wonderful guy Todd. They're like perfect. She's hilarious and nice and she's putting us up for the night."

Loki nodded.

Penny managed to find Sharon's house without much difficulty, she pointed to it, "That's it."

Loki watched in confusion as she drove past the house, "Did you solely wish to drive by Sharon's house?"

Penny laughed, "No."

He looked out the window with a mock-wistfulness, "Oh, well, there it goes, Goodbye Sharon, it was lovely never meeting you."

Penny nearly choked out of surprised laughter.

Loki turned to her, pleased that she was laughing.

Penny grinned, "You made a joke! That was the first time you've made a joke. Oh my god."

He straightened himself in his seat, "I joke." He said in a slightly defensive voice.

She giggled, "Clearly, that was a good one."

He sighed dismissively, "It was not that funny."

Penny couldn't shake her smile, "The fact that it was you telling it. That was enough and then it was actually pretty funny, nice delivery." She giggled again.

Loki turned to her serious, "Alright, contain your laughter." He waited until she turned to him and sobered completely, eyes glancing to the road every now and then.

Penny had to bit her tongue to keep from giggling at his serious face.

"Why have we driven past Sharon's house?"

Penny smiled and turned back to the road, "Oh, right. Well I just want to freshen up a bit before we get to her."

She pulled into a gas station and undid her seatbelt and opened the door, "Ok, I'll be right back.

Stay here." She got out of the car but stopped and turned back, "I mean you don't have to stay here. But it would be easier-

"Just go." He waved unconcernedly.

After a couple of minutes, eager to stretch his legs, Loki got out of the car and just walked slowly beside his side of the vehicle. A few minutes later he stopped as Penny was making her return to the car. Loki stayed frozen as she approached the vehicle.

Her hair fell in flawless waves just below her shoulders, snug dark jeans hugged her slim legs, she was wearing a skin tight black top with a swooping neck, subtle make-up highlighted her stunning eyes, and to complete her look chunky, peep toe heels.

Loki took a shaky breath, "You look lovely."

Penny smiled genuinely, "Thank-you. Alright, back in the car."

He did as she said, using all of his willpower not to stare at her as they turned back towards Sharon's house. The short drive was silent; Penny felt excitement stirring as they pulled into Sharon's, it would be nice to see her friend.

As she shut off the engine Loki turned to her, "We are staying here tonight?"

She nodded, taking one last glance in the car mirror. Loki reached back and grabbed her bag for her, opening his door and beginning his approach to Sharon's abode. Penny couldn't help but smile… he really was kind of sweet. She shook her head, no, he is not sweet. You're not thinking clearly you just got out of a serious relationship. She got up and out of the car, turning to glance at the couple of cars parked across the road, "Hmmm, I think Sharon might have invited some people over…" she gestured across the street.

Loki followed her gaze.

Penny shrugged, "So I guess you'll just smile, shake a couple of hands and give some ambiguous answers. It shouldn't be too difficult." She rang the doorbell.

Loki gave her a quizzical look, "'Shake a couple of hands?'"

Penny's eyes widened, "Right! Ok quick! When someone offers their hand like so," she demonstrated, "You give your hand, no, the other one, yes, and then you shake it like so." She continued to demonstrate, "Yes, exactly," she murmured, pleased at Loki's effort.

The handshake continued on, Penny simply staring at their hands; not wanting to let go. She suddenly seemed to come to her senses and practically threw his hand away, "Sorry… not that long," she looked up at his intent gaze and then looked down again flustered, "I don't know why I let it go on for-

The door swung open much to Penny's relief.

A husky voice met their ears, "Penny!"

Penny was soon entangled in the arms of a woman who Loki assumed was Sharon. He studied her for a moment, she had curly blonde hair and a contagious smile; she was dressed in a vibrant shade of pink and he could already tell she had a sweet larger than life personality. She hugged Penny and released her looking her outfit over.

"Penny! You look hot!" she complimented, twirling her around.

Penny shrugged, "Well, I figured you'd have cooked something up."

"You were right." She winked at Penny and turned her gaze to Loki, "Hello there."

Loki inclined his head to her and murmured, "Hello."

Sharon smiled, "Penny darling, you make him carry both the bags?"

Penny winced, "Oh he doesn't…" she glanced back at Loki only to find a small dark green traveling bag in what had been his empty hand, "…mind." She finished lamely.

Sharon retreated inside, "Come in, come in," she called off around the corner, "Todd! They're here!"

Loki and Penny entered the house, it was small but stylish; Sharon had added a modern touch to the old townhouse. A moment later the handsome Todd strolled around the corner. He smiled at the newcomers, "Penny!" he came over and gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek, "Always lovely to see you, and this must be the telephone wire guy."

Penny bit her lip and let out a small nervous chuckle, "No… well, yes, this is my friend Loki."

Todd grinned and offered his hand, "Pleased to meet you Loki, that's an interesting name."

Penny watched, slightly proud, as Loki moved his bag into the same hand that held hers and completed a successful handshake with Todd. He nodded at Todd, "Thank-you."

Sharon slipped her arm through Penny's, "Todd, honey, why don't you show Loki where to put the bags and then introduce him to everyone, I'm just going to steal Penny for a moment."

Todd nodded, patting Loki on the shoulder, "Alright come with me; we'll let the ladies have their moment."

Loki had to fight a flinch when Todd touched him; he shot his eyes quickly over to Penny who smiled at him with encouragement. He pursed his lips and followed Todd out of the entrance way.

Sharon pulled Penny over to a little loveseat that sat beside the stairs, "Ok. I'm going to give you two options here. One," she held up one finger to emphasize, "I kidnap you."

Penny started to interject but Sharon stopped her.

"I kidnap you and we escape upstairs into our own world of ice cream, crying, and Titanic."

Penny laughed; Sharon swatted her, "Hey! Listen. Two," a second finger went up, "I've invited a couple friends over, including Liam, and we can have a nice dinner, go out for a couple of drinks and dancing and then come home, not too late cause you have to get up and drive tomorrow, oh by the way Todd knows a faster route I think, he goes to Puente Antiguo with his friends for golf or squash or something."

Penny frowned thoughtfully, "Oh that could be helpful."

Sharon nodded, "Ok! Option one or option two?"

Penny didn't even blink, "Option two."

Sharon eyed her carefully, "Really? Cause I have Todd ready on standby. He'll distract and entertain if needed."

Penny smiled gratefully, "No, thank-you but I want to have some fun tonight."

Sharon beamed, "Oh goodness, I'm so happy you chose option two! Not that I have anything against option one, just Blake sucks and let's face you two never had it going, no tears for him!"

Penny leaned back, scowling, "What do you mean 'never had it going'?"

Sharon sighed, "Ok I had this whole lecture planned out for later but we can do it now if you prefer."

Penny raised a confused eyebrow, "What? You think I need lecturing? He's the one-

Sharon cut her off, "I know. I know," she took Penny's hand, "I know. But, regardless of the fact that he turned out to be a sleazeball you guys were never right for each other."

Penny sighed, "Oh I see and you're telling me this now?"

Sharon gave her a scolding look, "Hey, I have always said that you weren't right for each other, remember at Roy and Marianne's wedding six months ago?"

Penny nodded, recalling the conversation in which Sharon told her that something was 'off' about Penny and Blake's relationship, "Oh yeah…"

Sharon nodded, "'Oh yeah', Ok here's why. You are like Maggie Carpenter."

Penny squinted, trying to remember why the name was familiar.

Noting Penny's confusion, Sharon clarified: "From 'Runaway Bride'."

Penny scoffed, "I have never run away from my own wedding. I haven't even had my own wedding"

Sharon continued, unfazed, "No. But you adapted. Richard Gere finds out that Maggie always likes the same type of eggs as her current beau. She becomes a new person for them. That's what you did for Blake!"

Penny rolled her eyes, "Oh please! I didn't change for Blake, only in a good way, that's what you do in relationships, you compromise!"

Sharon nodded, "Oh I agree. But you didn't just compromise. You changed what you wore-

"Oh come on, I just dressed more maturely." Penny protested.

"You picked up and moved in with him-

"I was practically homeless and excited to be with him!"

"All of his friends became your friends-

"Hey we kept in touch didn't we?"

Sharon continued adamantly, "You even changed what you eat!"

"So I eat better because of him there's no harm in that!"

Sharon looked at her seriously, "And Penny, when was the last time you picked up a paint brush?"

Penny grimaced, "Oh please, that was just a hobby; I'm busy."

Sharon gave her a sad look, "You loved to paint, and it wasn't just a hobby."

Penny shrugged, "Well I had to give some stuff up-

"For what? To be a telemarketer? Where did you're life go? You have a degree and a passion and you're not making anything of it."

"You sound like my mother." Penny squirmed uncomfortably, "I have a degree in art history. What am I supposed to do with that? And painting doesn't pay the bills and we didn't have room for the supplies."

Sharon's eyes narrowed, "You had room for a workout room."

Penny furrowed her eyebrows, "Blake loves to work out; that was a compromise."

Sharon sighed, "That's not compromise; that's giving in, settling. A compromise would have been if you each had a spot to do your own thing, you each got time to be yourself."

Penny leaned back against the loveseat.

Sharon rubbed her shoulder gently, "Listen I don't mean to upset you; this has just been my roundabout way of saying that you are way better off without him." She smiled cheekily, "You're welcome?"

Penny rolled her eyes as a single tear fell down her cheek, she smiled half-heartedly, "Thanks, I guess."

Sharon pulled her into a hug, "Are you sure you're not up for option one."

Penny glanced wistfully at the stairs, "Nah, I want to have some fun… besides I shouldn't leave Loki on his own."

Sharon raised an eyebrow, "Speaking of which, you did not tell me that he was gorgeous!"

Penny blushed slightly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sharon elbowed her, "Suuurrre, whatever you say. Also did I detect a British accent?"

Penny smiled, "It is British sounding."

Sharon studied her, "Oh my god."

Penny looked up, "What?"

Sharon's face lit up, "You like him!"

Penny shook her head, "No! No, no… no." she bit her lip and looked up at Sharon with uncertainty in her eyes.

Sharon smiled with disbelief, "Oh my god. You so like him!"

Penny's shoulders dropped, "No, Sharon. I just got out of-

"A relationship that sucked and that you didn't have your whole heart into." Sharon finished for her.

"That was a bit harsh."

Sharon shrugged, "Hey, no sugar-coating here. But back to the fact that you've got a crush on hot telephone wire guy."

Penny gave her an imploring look, "Nothing is going on. Nothing can go on; I'm probably just getting those rebound feelings."

Sharon smiled, "Ok, so it's perfect then. Get him to cheer you up for a bit and then you drop him off in New Mexico, no problem."

Penny shook her head, "No, I don't want to do that. Besides that might hurt his feelings or something and who knows maybe we'll keep in touch, I mean I like him. Not in that way! But I like spending time with him. And he's fun, and fun to be with."

Sharon examined her, "You, my friend, are one smitten kitten."

Penny punched her lightly, "No I am not!"

Sharon laughed, "Ow! And listen I have seen girls on the rebound, and honey, you are not one of them. I mean, yes, you are definitely upset over Blake, perfectly understandable, but I think you've been over him ever since I last saw you at Roy and Marianne's. And now this Loki character has somehow charmed your little frightened heart."

Penny scrunched her face, "Stop… and why is my heart frightened?"

Sharon shrugged, "It sounded right… oh I got it! Because it has been hurt before, here I reference Bobby Gallagher, and then it settled," she fake coughed interjecting Blake's name in between sputters, "and now all of a sudden it is meeting someone that could potentially turn its world upside down and make it feel all dizzy."

Penny gave her an incredulous look, "Bobby Gallagher?"

Sharon nodded, "He was your Angel."

Penny frowned, "From what I recall Bobby was not an Angel, he had a motorbike, was in a band, and he used to sneak us alcohol at the concerts."

Sharon shook her head, "No, I mean he was the Angel to your Buffy."

Penny laughed, "Oh my god, how many 90's pop culture references can we get into this conversation?"

Sharon looked at her pleadingly, "I'm serious. You were what, seventeen? And you fell for him and then you guys broke up and you were heartbroken and then you were too afraid to fall in love again, just like Buffy, so you never gave your heart completely and finally settled for Blake, because he appeared to be a safe secure guy who your parents would love."

Penny looked doubtful, "Ok maybe… just a little… but a lot of people believe that Buffy and Angel were soul mates… Bobby Gallagher is not my soul mate. I refuse."

Sharon chuckled, "Of course not. And I know, "Buffy and Angel" epic, but there's another guy in Buffy's life." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Penny rolled her eyes once more, "Spike. I always loved Spike."

Sharon grinned, "I know, and Buffy pushed him away and didn't realize she loved him until it was too late."

Penny narrowed her eyes, "There's a lot of dispute over if she actually loved him, Spike doesn't even think- hey wait, who's Spike in this situation?"

Sharon looked away innocently, "I don't know."

Penny glared daggers at her, "Loki is not Spike."

Sharon sighed, "No, I would hope not. Well maybe Spike with a soul."

Penny laughed, "Oh man. Spike was so hot. I loved him; I think it was the accent." Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said, a hand flew over her mouth.

Sharon poked her, laughing triumphantly, "You think British accents are sexy! You think Loki is sexy!"

Penny batted Sharon's hand away, "Stop it! Argh! I cannot believe we're having this conversation. It's like high school all over again."

Sharon sighed, "You bring that out in me you know."

Penny looked at her affectionately, "I missed you; you and your crazy analogies."

Sharon pulled her in for one more hug, "I missed you too sweetie. Ok," she patted her on the back and pulled away, "Let's go behave like grown-ups and go socialize."

Penny smiled, "Alrighty, option two: here we come!"


	6. Woah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing, kiss drama.

Penny turned to Sharon, "Hey did you say Liam was here?"

Sharon nodded as she got up from the couch, "Yup, he's excited to see you."

Penny got up and began to follow Sharon. She hadn't seen Liam since the last time she saw Sharon; at Roy and Marianne's wedding. He was an old friend from high school too, one her best friends. She smiled at the thought of seeing him; it would be nice to see another familiar face. The two girls made their way into the living room where Penny was introduced to another couple; Sam and Jenny, and one other woman; Jess, and of course Liam. She gave him a hug and sat down beside Loki; who was the current topic of conversation.

Sam started the discussion again, "We were just saying how Loki is an interesting name, Norse origins, right?"

Penny turned to Loki with a sympathetic look on her face.

Loki simply nodded, "I believe it was very popular in old Norse culture."

Sam agreed, "Yeah, Loki's a god. The god of mischief I think."

Jenny laughed, "Oh Sam, why don't you show off a little bit."

Sam gave her a dubious expression, "Oh come on, I was just saying; that's right, right Loki?"

All eyes turned to him.

Loki cleared his throat, "I believe so."

Penny smiled, "Isn't he who you're named after?"

Loki turned to her, amused, "Yes, as a matter of fact he is."

Penny grinned and turned back to Sam, "He was the Prince of Asgard."

Liam joined the conversation, laughing, "Uh oh Sam, I think you might have a challenger for Norse Mythology knowledge, Penny's a sharp one." He winked at her.

Penny snickered, "Oh no. Everything I learned comes from Loki, he knows his stuff."

Loki smiled charmingly, "Well, I took the time to learn more about it, my namesake and all."

The conversation continued through to dinner, the topic switching over to Greek mythology next. Loki remained mostly quiet through it all. He observed the mortals; watching and listening. He found that Penny outshone them all; he liked her friend Sharon and Sharon's Todd. Sam and Jenny were slightly annoying; Sam attempting to dominate every conversation and Jenny would support and flatter each of his comments, Jess was alright; she was quiet but seemed very good-natured, although that trait wasn't something that Loki necessarily thought was always an asset, and then there was Liam. Loki had caught on to Liam as soon as Penny walked in the room. He had noticed Liam's quick intake of breath. When Penny bestowed a hug on him in greeting Loki watched as the poor mortal reciprocated with an equally joyous and pained expression.

Loki did not like Liam.

Luckily, however, Loki could tell that Liam's feelings were not shared. Penny had been pleased to see him, he could tell, but that was it. She didn't let her gaze linger like Liam, nor did she compliment him in conversation as he did her. A curious thing happened while Loki was studying the interaction between Penny and Liam. He had felt Sharon's gaze on him, he positioned himself so that he could see her peripherally and affirm that she was indeed watching him. She followed his gaze and looked to Liam and then Penny, and then back at him; a knowing smile on her face. Loki's eyes narrowed and he looked to his meal, wondering what Sharon was thinking that was keeping her so amused.

Later that evening, after dessert and drinks, Sharon announced that they were going out dancing. If Penny had to describe the look that Loki sent her at that moment she would call it fearful. She simply chuckled and assured him that he wouldn't have to step out on the dance floor. Sam and Jenny were sorry to say that they had to go, Jess excusing herself as well. This left Sharon and Todd, Liam, Penny, and of course Loki. When they got to the bar and found a table Sharon immediately grabbed Penny, winking at her fiancée and saying to the other men, "Sorry boys, tonight is a dancing night for the ladies."

Penny followed her to the dance floor, "I cannot believe this is happening right now."

Sharon laughed, "Oh please, we are going to have fun. Just make me a promise."

Penny looked at her sceptically, "What?"

Sharon smiled, "No thinking about men, no Blake, no Loki, not even Bobby Gallagher! Just dance!"

And so Penny danced. It had been a long time since she had gone out dancing. Blake never enjoyed the bar atmosphere and Becky wouldn't even step near a dance floor. But Sharon loved to dance and immediately Penny felt at home with her old friend. She just forgot it all, Blake, Becky, Spaceman, her recent departure from her job, the fact that she had been driving for the past three days. She danced away her troubles, thinking only of the music.

Loki sat with the two other men; conversation was limited as the music seemed to be too loud for a proper discussion. So, the three of them sat there, watching Sharon and Penny dance. Loki was completely enthralled by Penny. He could hardly take his eyes off of her. The way the lights hit her smile, the rhythm of her hips that matched the music, it was… magic. The best part, however, were the few minutes that she would turn and look at their table and meet Loki's eyes. Most times she would laugh or smile and she was so damn beautiful that Loki had to fight from grinning like a fool whenever she looked at him.

Eventually Todd finished his drink and stood up, "I'm sorry gentleman, but that woman over there," he pointed to Sharon, "is gorgeous and I think I'll go crazy if I go one more minute without her." He proceeded to the dance floor, his arms open. At first Sharon shook her head coyly and pushed him away but then Penny laughed and pushed them together, joining Loki and Liam at the table.

Liam grinned at her, "Wow, you guys were not fooling around down there. That was some hard core dancing that just happened."

Penny laughed, "Hey we were just having a good time. Woo!" she fanned herself, "I'm boiling!"

Liam nearly tripped over himself he stood up so fast, "I'll get you a drink, what would you like?

Penny shook her head, "No, you don't have to do that Liam."

Liam smiled at her hopefully, "Anything! It's on me."

She smiled gratefully, "Water would be lovely."

Liam eyed her suspiciously, "Are you sure that's all you want?"

Penny nodded, "Yes please, I need hydration!"

Liam smiled and jetted over to the bar.

Penny turned to Loki, "Well, what would they say on Asgard? You got dances like these?"

Loki gave her a half-smile, "They would probably lock you away."

Penny gave a little shocked face, "Oh c'mon! You guys can't be like saints up there; you got to have some wild dancers."

Loki glanced at the dance floor, "We do not dance like this."

She raised an eyebrow, "But that wasn't a 'no' to wild dancing! Ooh, now I'm curious!" she leaned forward, "What do Asgardians dance like?"

Loki returned his gaze to her and leaned in as well, "Perhaps I will show you one day."

Penny felt her heart rate pick up.

And then a glass of water was set in front of her, tearing her out of the moment. She glanced up at Liam, who had a sort of a perturbed smile on his face, "Oh thank-you so much!" She quickly took a deep sip and turned back to watch the dancers.

Liam returned to his seat eyeing Loki peculiarly, seemingly re-evaluating the situation.

As the dancing part of the evening drew to a close it was decided that Liam would come back to Sharon's for one final nightcap before returning home.

The group settled into the living room once more and turned on the TV just as 'Jeopardy!' came on. Everyone was immediately drawn in. After successfully answering a question about Manet Penny glanced around and noticed that Loki was missing. She quietly slipped away as Liam and Todd argued over the meaning of one of the category titles. Penny made her way into the kitchen where she found Loki looking out the window. She padded over to the sink and began to get herself a glass of water.

She turned to him, sipping slowly, "So? What do you think? Did you have fun?"

Loki seemed as if he was going to answer her but then tilted his head to the doorway of the kitchen and disappeared.

Penny nearly choked on her water.

Liam entered the kitchen glancing around, and seeing Penny sputtering came to her side and patted her on the back, "You okay there?"

Penny nodded, "Just went down," she coughed a final time, "the wrong pipe."

Liam looked around again, "So where's your friend?"

Penny bit her lip, "Oh he's," she narrowed her eyes at the empty space around her, "around."

Liam smiled, "Oh, well, it's nice to have a moment alone with you. Sharon's been clinging to you pretty tight."

Penny smirked with affection, "Yeah, she's an awesome friend."

Liam chuckled nervously, "So, is it weird to say that it's nice to see you without Blake?"

Penny sighed, "Uhhh, yeah, maybe a little weird but I'm okay with it."

Liam grinned, "No offense or anything but that guy was a tool."

Penny dropped her shoulders, "Oh come on! Not you too! Why didn't anybody tell me?"

Liam laughed, "Oh Sharon already got to you? Okay, no lecture from me! And we did tell you. You just didn't listen."

Penny rolled her eyes, "Oh whatever, it's over now."

Liam smiled, "I'm glad. You know I'd probably prefer Bobby to him."

Penny's mouth dropped, "Oh my god. How many times has Bobby Gallagher come up today? It's weird. And you hated Bobby Gallagher!"

Liam looked at her, "Well, you must know why I hated him."

"It always mystified me." Penny shrugged, taking another sip of water.

He gave her an incredulous look, "I was in love with you!"

Penny nearly choked again. "What! No! You were so in love with Chelsea Winters!"

Liam shook his head, "Nope. That was a lie. Totally in love with you."

Penny cleared her throat, "No, I helped you write that Valentine's Day card for her."

Liam winced, "Yeah… That was actually going to be this really cute reveal of 'hey, this card is actually for you because you're so beautiful it hurts' but then I chickened out and Bobby got you that giant talking teddy bear."

Penny nodded, "I burned that. I cannot believe this. Wow. I'm sorry. Woah. Weird."

Liam shrugged.

Penny glanced at him awkwardly and then froze because he was looking at her funny. She felt her stomach drop in a very non-fun way. He was moving closer to her and leaning down, and she was panicking internally, completely unsure of what to do. And then the kitchen cupboard by Liam's knee swung open and hit him.

"Ow!" He looked down, "What the? That was weird."

Penny looked gratefully at the cupboard door, "Yeah… it must be a loose spring or something. But yeah," she looked at him meaningfully, "That was weird."

Liam looked up at her smiling, "Anyways," he leaned in again.

Penny's eyes widened and her hands flew over her mouth.

Liam shot back looking at her in fear.

She pulled her hands away, "I'm sorry."

Liam just gave her a look of sheer disappointment, "Ugh. Don't worry."

Hesitantly, Penny reached out and awkwardly patted him on the shoulder, "I'm sorry, I just don't have those kinds of feelings for you."

Liam nodded, "Well, at least I tried." He looked at her for a moment, "It's him isn't it."

Penny shrugged, "No, Blake and I were together for a while but-

Liam shook his head, "No, I mean him, your friend, Loki."

Penny began to stutter, "No, no, no… no, I just- we just met. He's not- no. I don't think- we're not-

Liam cut her off, "I saw the way you two were looking at each other. Just be careful, there's something… off about that guy."

Penny looked at him helplessly, "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this now."

Just then Sharon entered much to Penny's relief. She turned to Liam, "You out of the kitchen. Girl-talk time."

Liam walked away, giving one last dejected glance to Penny. Penny just watched him and then put her head in her hands.

Sharon looked around the kitchen, "Where's Loki?"

Penny glanced up at her, "umm, he's in the basement… making a call…"

Sharon gave her a dubious look, "Okay… are you lying? Cause you said that pretty weird."

Penny shook her head, "I'm sorry. Liam just threw me for a loop there."

Sharon's eyes widened, a knowing look on her face, "Oh no."

"He told me that he was in love with me in high school and then he tried to kiss me!" Penny whined.

Sharon rolled her eyes, "Oh well. It was bound to happen sooner or later. You turned him down?"

Penny nodded fiercely, "Of course, I'm already emotionally… crazy, right now. And now this. Ugh!" she threw up her hands.

Sharon mocked her, "Ugh, I'm Penny, too many people love me."

Penny shoved her gently, "That's not it at all."

Sharon inspected her nails, "Well, I know of a certain someone who was watching you pretty closely while you were dancing."

Penny looked up to her in horror, "Oh god. Do not talk about this right now." She glanced fearfully around the seemingly empty room, her eyes lingering on the spot where Loki had vanished.

Sharon grabbed Penny's shoulders, "Yes, I'm going to talk about this now. First off, my relationship with Todd. Rebound."

Penny frowned, "No… who was… oh! Ken! Ken Smith!"

Sharon nodded, "Yes, me and Ken. He dumped me for some tramp he met on a golf course. Anyways one day later, at a party, I saw Todd. And everything changed, that night we danced we kissed, just for a little bit of fun; I thought maybe I'd make Ken jealous. But then Todd was all I ever thought about. I kept wanting to see him and spend more and more time with him… easiest break-up ever right? And the reason I'm telling you this is that 'the heart want what the heart wants'. I'm not trying to push you or anything or rush you into anything; I just don't want you to be afraid. And if all of my judgement is incorrect than I am in for any men-hating-mega-crying-woman power-dancing-fest that is needed."

Penny was quiet for a moment, "Okay… thank-you?"

Sharon smiled, "You're welcome, let's go say goodbye to Liam."

Sharon bounced out of the kitchen and Loki reappeared.

Penny turned to him, "Let's just pretend that you heard absolutely none of that."

Somehow Loki still seemed amused.

Penny began to walk out of the kitchen, "Thanks for the cupboard by the way."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "I have not a clue to what you may be speaking of."

They said goodbye to Liam, Penny's goodbye hug slightly awkward; Loki's handshake, solid. And then everybody retired to bed. Penny and Loki were downstairs on air mattresses. Penny got into her pyjamas and turned out the lights.

After a few moments of silence she sighed, "I wasn't in love with Blake."

Loki wasn't sure what the best response was.

She sighed again, "I mean at one point I think I was. But then, I don't know. We just stopped working. Sharon said that I lost myself so I could fit into his lifestyle."

She was met again with silence.

Penny continued, "The worst part is that everybody seemed to know, everybody just kind of accepted that I was just this girl who settled. I didn't even realize it. I thought everybody was like us. But I guess there wasn't much of an 'us'. I was like his little faithful sidekick. Pathetic." She looked over to Loki's form in the darkness, "What about you? Got any tragic stories?"

There was a long pause.

Penny swallowed nervously, "Oh god, are you asleep? I'm sorry, you don't have to answer."

She was quiet again.

After another few moments Loki spoke up, his voice pained; "Recently, my father," he looked over to her through the night, "he told me the truth about my birth."

Penny eye's widened.

Loki continued his voice dry, "I am not Asgardian. I was born on Jotenheim. An ice realm inhabited by monstrous creatures; the Frost Giants. They have always been our enemies, monsters that haunt our dreams. My mother died, my father, Laufey the king of the miscreants, abandoned me." He paused, speaking slowly, "Odin took me in; hoping to one day secure a better peace between our two races; through me." Loki felt tears sting at his eyes.

Penny felt her heart break a little bit for him.

Loki pressed on, relieved to find someone who would listen, "I have always been in the shadow of my brother. Thor has always had the hearts of our people, our friends, even our parents. His parents. So it all made sense. All the years standing behind him; I am nothing more than a potential treaty, unworthy of the throne, unworthy of their love."

Instantly Loki wished to take it back. It was too much, too much to hear it out loud, too much to tell this mortal woman who had charmed him so. He turned when he heard her get up and walk over to him. He sat up as well, intrigued by her actions.

Penny sat down beside him, "Well, you win. Your story is more tragic. I'm just pathetic; you're… kind of messed up. No offense or anything."

He looked at her disbelievingly, "You certainly know what to say to make someone feel better."

Penny gave a small, half-hearted laugh, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at cheering people up." She smiled at him, "I give good hugs." She offered.

Loki looked at her, unsure of his next move.

Penny startled him by taking initiative and wrapping her arms around him. She squeezed him gently, happy when she felt his arms enfold around her. "You know for the record," she started while hugging, "I know that I can't really know but I think that you probably meant a whole lot more to your parents than you think, I mean," they pulled away from each other, "how could they not love you? You're you. I don't know if you know this but you're kind of amazing."

She was surprised to see a look that was almost like wonder in his eyes. She smiled at him, "That's all."

Before she could get up, however, Loki tightened his grip around her arms; she looked up to him confused. And then all she could see were his eyes and then his lips were on hers. Within the moment she was responding, kissing him back. She felt her heart race and she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was like no other kiss she had ever experienced. All of the horrendous kissing clichés enraptured her; she felt fireworks as his soft mouth moved against her own. It was done all too soon. They pulled apart, breathing heavily; Loki rested his forehead against hers.

Penny tried to gather her thoughts but for a while all she could think about, all she saw, heard, felt, and tasted was Loki. And then it all came back to her. She pulled away, reluctantly. Breathily she whispered, "Goodnight… oh god," she pulled him in for another shorter yet still wonderful kiss, "Oh my," she breathed heavily, "Goodnight Loki."

He watched her get up, he held on to her hand as she began to walk away; letting it slip gently out of his own before adding with his own breathless voice, "Sleep well."


	7. Beautiful Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki contemplates his feelings for Penny.

Penny awoke, early the next morning, to the sound of her cell phone alarm. She quickly shut it off, noticing Loki stirring. She paused, staring at his back for a moment before a giddy smile lit up her face. She turned away from him, hiding her smile in case he saw it. A little groggy she got out of bed and slipped upstairs into the shower.

Loki listened to her leave. When he heard her step off the stairs he opened his eyes. She was… intoxicating. He thought of her before he slept, he dreamt of her, and she had been his first thought when he woke up. It was too much. She was a distraction. A very beautiful distraction. He remembered the promise he had made to himself, that he wouldn't let his feelings for her get in the way of his plans. He stood; troubled. For a moment he let nearly all his magic slide, his outfit changing back into his kingly armour. He looked down at the Asgardian metal, running his fingers over the smooth rivets. He inspected it closely noticing the wear from the fight and fall. He felt his hands tremble momentarily as the overwhelming emotion of his last day in Asgard returned. It had been somewhat of a relief to tell Penny of his true lineage but it had broken down a little bit of the barrier that he had placed between them. He wasn't sure what he was going to do; in regards to Penny. He had big plans for revenge but where would she fit in? He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was a dilemma; one that he would have to face very soon. Their journey would end today. He would observe S.H.I.E.L.D today. Tomorrow he would send Penny to talk to Jane Foster, this was something he had decided yesterday; it would ensure that Penny would stay with him for longer. He was certain that she would say yes, she was far to obliging for her own good. Besides, he wasn't sure how much longer they could stay as they were. He had work to do and Penny couldn't stop him. No one could. He wasn't even sure how he was going to achieve what he was seeking to; he just knew that it would take more than his brother and his hammer to stop him. He let the magic come back again; pleased to note that no effort was required. The journey had done what it was meant to; he was rested and well; recovered from his fall, back once again to his full strength. He made his way to the kitchen where Sharon and Todd were already cooking breakfast.

Sharon was the first to address him, "Morning Loki. Sleep well?"

He nodded and took a seat at the table.

Todd turned to him, "Do you like French toast?"

Loki shrugged slightly, "I can't say I've tasted it."

Sharon's eyes widened, "Oh well, you are in for a treat sir! It's delicious." She turned to the doorway as Penny entered, "Good morning darling, sleep well?"

Penny smiled, "Yes I did… you guys need help with anything?"

Loki glanced over at the pair.

Todd shook his head, "No we do not. Sit down at the table there."

Penny looked at them adoringly, "You guys did not need to get up and do this for us."

Todd laughed, "What are you talking about? We do this every morning."

Sharon chuckled, "Yes, up early and French toast; we never sleep as late as we can and chow down on Cocoa Puffs, that wouldn't be right.

Penny sat down, turning shyly to Loki, "Good morning."

He gave her his half-smile, "Good morning."

Sharon observed this and sent a knowing look to Todd who just raised his eyebrows. Together they served breakfast. They ate in sleepy silence; finishing rather quickly. Todd picked up the dishes, hesitating over Loki's empty plate, "Well? How did you like the French toast?"

Loki nodded, "Lovely." He paused, noticing everyone's attention still on him he took a breath, "Thank-you." He watched Todd and Sharon smile in satisfaction and then Penny began to help them clear the table.

Sharon stopped for a moment in the middle of the kitchen before gently grabbing Todd, "Todd. Why don't you take Penny and show her your route to Puente Antiguo?" she cast him a meaningful look.

Todd immediately put down the plate he was carrying, "Follow me Penny."

Penny shot Sharon a suspicious glance before following Tom, and then taking him to the car and maps.

Loki stood up to follow but Sharon stopped him.

"Wait." She said, watching Penny and Todd reach the car, "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment."

She gave him a friendly smile. Loki eyed her warily and sat back down.

Sharon sighed, "Okay, well. I might be overstepping some boundaries here or maybe I'm assuming too much but there's something between you and Penny. It's not that hard to see," she continued to watch out the kitchen window at her friend and husband at the car, "I don't know if it's a big thing or a little thing or if it's even become a thing. I just want to tell you that Penny is awesome. She's just a little stuck in her life right now. Or she was, you've shaken her up a bit I guess." She glanced at him before turning back to the window, "I know she's sweet and impulsive and compassionate to an extreme but don't underestimate her." She turned back to him, "She's tough and she's not going to be one who will just stand aside; if that's what you want from her. She did that for Blake. She stood beside him. Just stood there, she's lost a bit of herself, you might not be able to see that," she looked back at Penny, "but I can. She's sad. She's ready for her life though. She's just got to muster up enough courage to take it on. Don't hurt her. Don't set her back. Just be nice, she likes you." She stopped, holding a minute before looking back at him, "You haven't said anything."

Loki looked up into her eyes, "I do not want to hurt her."

Sharon shrugged, "Doesn't mean you won't."

Loki felt a sickening lurch inside of his stomach.

"Listen I don't know you and I'm not pretending to know you but I can tell. There's more to you than meets the eye."

Loki looked away, focusing on the table.

Sharon laughed, "Now I make you sound like a transformer." She studied him for a moment, "You sure are quiet."

Loki gave a bitter smile, "I am very careful with words."

"No doubt. Hey, by the way, don't get the wrong idea here, I think you're great. And you seem to really like Penny."

Loki glanced quickly up at her before returning his gaze elsewhere.

Sharon smirked, "Just be careful, she's confused. Give her time to figure herself out a bit. Not saying that you have to leave or anything. Just keep that in mind." She watched as Todd and Penny began their return to the car. She looked back at Loki, "Hey do me a favour."

Loki eyed her sceptically.

"Nothing big, there's an art store two blocks down. It's on the left hand side; it's called 'Artist's Touch' or something. Make her stop. Make her get some paint and supplies and stuff, I think I have some extra cash here, hold on."

Loki raised a hand, "No need, I have the means to pay for it. She paints?"

Sharon smiled sadly, "She used to." She winked at him, "I'm thinking she might be newly inspired however."

Loki looked away a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips; he turned at the sound of Todd and Penny returning.

Penny smiled at him, her hands in her pockets, "Well, looks like we'll be able to get there sooner, probably be there by two or three… ready to go?"

Loki nodded and rose from the table, joining her in the entrance way. He turned to Sharon and Todd, "I am grateful for your hospitality." He inclined his towards them, glanced at Penny and began to make his way to the car.

Penny watched him go a moment before turning to Sharon with the beginnings of tears in her eyes, "Thank-you… for everything."

Sharon felt tears prickle her own eyes, "Oh, sweetie," she pulled Penny in to a tight hug, "Oh goodness." She let go, "Don't be such a stranger and please know, if you ever need anything, or if you need a place to stay while you're looking for a place of your own, please come here. Please, we'd love to have you."

Todd nodded, "Anytime."

Penny smiled, "Ok, I'm probably going to take you up on that. Okay, bye!" She gave Sharon one last squeeze, hugged Todd briefly and then joined Loki in the car.

Loki noticed her wiping away tears as she unlocked the doors. He looked at her in concern, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "That was great. I'm going to miss her. Man, I need to see her more often." She got into the driver's seat.

Loki glanced briefly at the house before joining her in the car.

She turned to him, "Ready to go? This is it."

Loki nodded, "I'd like to make a stop."

Penny frowned, "Really okay… where?"

Loki waited as she started the car, "Two blocks down. The left hand side."

She glanced at him suspiciously, "Sharon?"

He kept his eyes ahead. "She asked for a favour."

Penny didn't inquire further simply drove the quick two blocks; hiding her surprise when she came to an art supply store. She followed Loki inside.

After they got in Loki stopped and turned to her, "What do you need?"

Penny looked around her unsure, "I couldn't possibly…"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Tell me or I'll buy everything in the store."

She bit her lip, "Ok… let me get a basket."

She grabbed a basket and began to meander around the store.

Loki watched her as she gathered items, inspecting each one carefully. At first she seemed a bit hesitant, perhaps feeling a little removed from the world of brushes and canvases but after a couple of minutes she was lost in it; gathering necessities and colours. Loki was pleased that she left the store smiling happily.

Penny dropped the supplies into the trunk, excitement coursing through her veins. She turned to Loki who was beginning to walk to his side. She grabbed his hand, "Thank-you."

Loki looked at her fondly, "It was Sharon's suggestion."

Penny squeezed his hand, "I know but…" she took a deep breath stood on her tippy-toes placing a soft kiss on his cheek, "Thank-you." She let go of his hand and scurried over to her seat.

Loki was still for a moment; a million thoughts running through his mind. He looked up at the sky briefly before taking his seat.

As usual the first hour or so was driven in silence.

Penny cleared her throat, "So I guess we'll be seeing Jane Foster today then."

Loki shook his head, "I think it best that we take our time. Find an inn, you can take the afternoon and evening to recover from these past four days; if you wish."

Penny laughed, "It would be nice just to relax for a bit, we've been kind of on-the-go constantly. What about you?"

Loki looked out his windows, "There are a few things I'd like to do; information that I must gather."

She nodded, impressed, "Okay. Sounds a little sketchy. So Jane Foster tomorrow?"

He nodded, "Would you go without me?"

She looked over at him in surprise, "What? Why?"

He tilted his head to the side.

Penny smirked, guessing, "Things to do. Information to gather?"

Loki half-smiled at her, "Indeed."

"So what do I say?"

Loki thought for a moment, "You can tell her anything. Just make sure to tell her that Thor destroyed the bifrost."

She raised an eyebrow, "Okay… Thor destroyed the bifrost… that's it?"

He nodded once, "He smashed the bridge with his hammer."

Penny playfully 'tsked', "Oh that Thor and his hammer."

Loki smiled; amused.

She turned to him, "So how should I say it? Should I walk up and be like, 'Miss Foster? Thor destroyed the bifrost.' And then run away? Or should I go up all secret-like and say 'I have a message from Loki, Prince of Asgard, God of Mischief, Thor, other Prince of Asgard, God of Thunder, took his hammer and destroyed the bridge.'?"

Loki paused, unsure if he had ever heard anyone refer to Thor as the 'other Prince of Asgard'. He turned to her, "You can tell her any way you like, though those last two suggestions may not be the most tactful."

She laughed, "Perhaps not. So Thor destroyed the bifrost, she'll probably be curious… why did he do it?"

Loki froze, "Irrelevant."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Really? Okay. Should I tell that you're going to come and meet her or something?"

He shook his head, "No need."

Penny nodded and took a deep breath, "So what exactly is destroying the bifrost?"

Loki narrowed his eyes, "She'll know."

She frowned, a little miffed that he wouldn't tell her.

He turned to her, "You paint."

She sighed, noticing the blatant change of topic, "I used to. I really loved it."

"Why did you stop?"

She shrugged, "Well, I just ran out of time I guess. I mean I had to work and stuff."

He looked at her doubtfully, "You simply gave it up?"

"No, no." She hesitated, "Well, I mean, I had to help Blake with rent so I had to sell some of my stuff. And I thought that maybe it was time to grow up a bit, I mean what future did I have with painting?"

He studied her, "You thought that?"

She grimaced sheepishly, "Okay, maybe Blake hinted at it. But what does painting give me?"

Loki glanced out the window, "Well, I think that perhaps only you know that."

She gave him a sideways glance, "Okay thank-you Dr. Phil… not that you get that reference. Well, I had work."

"And working took up all of the time that you would have used to paint?"

She squirmed, "No… I was tired."

He looked at her carefully, "And what 'work' was it that you became so involved in?"

She frowned, knowing she had lost her defense, "I was a telemarketer. I called people to sell them stuff."

"Does not sound enthralling."

She laughed bitterly, "It wasn't. It really sucked."

He gave her a critical look, "Why were you with Blake?"

She stared fiercely at the road in front of her, "I don't know. I liked him. Or I used too. I don't know. He was convenient and he seemed like a respectable choice." She sighed, "I just wanted to make the right choice I guess."

"Did you have to make a choice?"

She glared at him, "He was a mistake okay? He sucked. I get it now. Thanks." She paused and then continued in a smaller voice, "I think I was scared… to be alone; to face this all on my own. Finish school and then what? It seemed way too hard to try to make it with my Art History degree. I was unsure how to proceed and Blake just sort of swooped in and then I guess I started to live for him instead facing my own life." She stopped as this realization hit her.

Loki offered a small smile, "And now you have paint supplies."

She looked at him incredulously, "And I'm homeless and jobless."

He grinned and turned to look out the window.

She smiled, "Thanks for that."

He raised an eyebrow, glancing back at her.

She laughed, "No seriously. If you hadn't fallen into my life I'd probably be at Chris's house, suffering through my job and fearfully contemplating my future. But now I'm sort of excited to try this all out."

His expression was unreadable, "I am glad."

She stared at the road ahead of her, "It is kind of scary."

He half-smiled, "I do not think that that will stop you."

She smiled and turned the music on low volume, "Hey I guess we'll be seeing S.H.I.E.L.D soon."

Loki nodded, "Perhaps."

They drifted into comfortable silence.

It was around three when they arrived in Puente Antiguo. Penny pulled into the only motel in town. It was small and a perhaps in need of a fix up but their room was clean and comfortable. Penny began to set up a painting station, unable to help herself from smiling as she opened her new parcels. When she turned around she was surprised to see Loki wearing what he had been wearing when he landed.

She stopped, "Oh hey. Wow." She surveyed him. She hadn't really gotten a chance to see it before, in the chaos of those first few moments. She stared at him.

Loki tilted his head, "What?"

She shrugged, "Nothing, just if I had any last little doubts that you were a Prince of Asgard, they're gone now. You look… awesome."

He looked away nonchalantly, "I am more comfortable in this."

She walked over to him, "Really? It doesn't look especially comfortable." She knocked on the armour, "You're wearing metal."

He gave her a small smile, "It is what I am accustomed to." As King. "I will leave you now, I shall return sometime this night."

Penny smiled sadly, "Okay. Well, have fun doing whatever you're going to do."

He observed her for a moment.

He cupped her cheek with one hand. Her eyes shot up to meet his. They met each other with their lips. Penny wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing the sensations she was experiencing. Loki pulled her closer; lost in the moment. When they pulled a part they were both breathing heavily; staring into each other's eyes.

Loki caught his breath first, he swallowed, looked to the door and back at the beautiful distraction, "Right. Well." He nodded and left the room, his cape trailing behind him.

Penny watched the closed door for over a minute after he was gone. She took a deep breath and walked over to her blank canvas. She stood completely still for a moment; contemplating if it was possible that that kiss was even better than the first. She pulled the paints out; bringing out an empty pallet that she began to soil with various colours. She knew what she was going to paint, or what she was trying to paint. She let her mind settle for a moment, though the feeling of Loki still coursed through her veins. She closed her eyes, picturing the meadow and its star covered sky. She looked at the canvas visualizing the soft curves and lines that would create the star meadow at night. She painted for a few hours; becoming captivated by the process. By the time she realized she was hungry for dinner she had completed her background.

After washing up and grabbing her purse she walked over to a nearby dinner. She ate a burger alone, wondering when Loki would return. As she walked back to the hotel she noticed a man in an impressive black suit observing her from across the street. She ignored him, pondering when S.H.I.E.L.D might decide to approach her. When she returned to hotel she closed the blinds, the feeling that she was being watched was not one she preferred while she slept. She walked around the room for a bit, stretching slightly. Looking at the unfinished painting she decided that she would wait to work on it again, just enjoy the rest of the evening doing nothing. She turned on the TV and watched it absent-mindedly her eyes drifting back to the canvas every now and then; imagining the layers that she would paint. Eventually her eyelids began to grow heavy. She stayed awake a little longer, her eyes now drifting to the door; waiting for it to open. Eventually she got up and changed into her pyjamas and brushed her teeth. She hesitated at the light switch, ultimately deciding to turn the main lights off and leave the bathroom light on. She gave the door one last look before closing her eyes and succumbing to her exhaustion but not before she whispered to the empty room, "Goodnight Loki… where ever you are."

When Loki returned he was weary, weary but content. He had made some very interesting discoveries; seen and heard things that had made his mind spin with thoughts, ideas, and plans. Everything would fall together quite nicely. His father and brother would soon regret not seeing him for what he was really worth. He felt the excitement of a new trick begin to settle within him. Though this was more than just a bit of fun. This would be something that the nine realms including Asgard would be unable to ignore or overshadow. He slipped into the dark room, smiling softly when he saw that Penny had left the bathroom light on. He flicked the switch and waited as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. Soon he could make out her sleeping form. He stared at her. She was his only uncertainty; he didn't know where she belonged in his plan, or if she simply existed outside of it; waiting to be held. He sighed unhappily and prepared for bed. Memories of Penny washed over him. Kissing her was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He got into bed; looking over to her once more. He closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Minutes later he rolled over. And again, a not long after. After a while he opened his eyes; disconcerted. Something was tugging at him; preventing him from sleep. He let his mind wander; wondering what could possibly be keeping him from falling asleep. And then a small thought slipped into his mind. And he frowned, dismissing the idea but it crept back to him. He looked over at Penny.

He hadn't been there to tell her to sleep well.

He looked away troubled, that couldn't possibly be it… could it? He turned to her once more, "Sleep well." Some part of him felt a little relieved. He scowled, this was a disturbing development. He watched the slow fall and rise of her chest. Or perhaps not. He felt emotion flood through him. His beautiful distraction had certainly bewitched her Spaceman.


	8. Jane and the Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny meets Jane Foster and learns some upsetting truths.

When Penny awoke the next morning the first thing she saw was Loki; he was on the bed across from her. She studied him; they were both were on their sides facing each other. She watched him sleep for a moment; slightly relieved to see that he was there. And then his eyes shot open and she jumped a little.

She put a hand over her heart, "Ahhh… you scared me."

He raised an eyebrow.

She took a deep breath, her voice husky in the morning, "I wasn't expecting your eyes to rocket open like that." She yawned and stretched out, lying on her back.

Loki's mouth twitched with a hint of a smile and he stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair before pointing to her painting, "You started."

She looked at the unfinished canvas, "Mmhmm." She set her head down on the pillow again. She watched as Loki began to move over to the painting, she stopped him in a quiet voice, "Hey…" she gestured for him to come sit beside her on the bed.

He stood still for a moment, seeming to contemplate this before sitting down beside her.

She smiled, "You were out late last night; I didn't hear you get in."

He nodded, "I had a productive evening."

She grabbed his hand, absentmindedly tracing designs over his palm, "I thought you might have gone."

He looked from their hands to her face; furrowing his eyebrows, "Why?"

She shrugged, focusing on the designs she was making, "Well, you were gone late, you set me up with all this beautiful stuff, I'm going to talk to Jane today, by myself, and we're here in New Mexico. I just didn't know if you... wanted to stay here anymore."

She shrugged. And then she noticed that he was completely still and staring at her hand. She pulled away, "I'm sorry! Too touchy feely?"

In response Loki looked at her with a touch of confusion in his eyes. He pulled her hand back and wrapped his other hand underneath her back, lifting her and pulling her closer to him. And then he kissed her. She responded instantly, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she returned the kiss with an ardent fervour. It was odd, each time she kissed Loki she experienced a different feeling; the first kiss had been soft and tender, the second passionate and strong; this one made her feel weak all over. She clung to him, defenceless in his arms. When they broke away Loki gently placed her back down on the bed; pulling her hand over to his, this time he traced circles on her palm.

Penny looked up at the ceiling; attempting to make coherent thoughts, Loki was looking out the window; seeming to be functioning perfectly.

After she caught her breath Penny looked at him, "That was… unfair. You shouldn't be able to do that."

Loki turned to her with an expression of bewilderment, "Me?"

She nearly rolled her eyes, "Yes you! Who else? I think I have Goosebumps!"

He let out a short breath, "You! You…" he paused momentarily lost for words, something he found extremely infuriating, "You're… intoxicating." He nodded, pleased to find a somewhat adequate word.

Penny could feel heart pounding in her chest, "Well, the feeling is mutual."

For a moment they simply stared into each other's eyes; pondering this concept.

Loki stood up abruptly, breaking the moment, "I have to go. I'll return here not long after noon. Will you see Jane before then?"

She nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Something like sadness entered his eyes but he smiled at her, before exiting into the bathroom.

Penny rolled onto her side, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. She lay there; her eyes skimming over the ceiling. She let out a deep breath, groaning slightly, "Oh man. I'm in trouble."

When Loki came back into the room he was dressed in Asgardian garb and Penny once again admired the entire new aura of power that seemed to surround him. She had come to the conclusion that the outfit was attractive. He gave her one final nod of the head and reached for the door. Before he left he turned to her and just stared for a moment. Penny couldn't quite decipher it. The look was almost… sad. And then he was gone; leaving Penny slightly disturbed. She couldn't understand what exactly it was about the look, it was just unsettling. It was like he had some sense of foreboding, like everything was going to change. It conveyed an emotion like pity mixed with regret and affection. It was certainly not comforting.

She hesitated a moment before getting out of bed, disappointed that the intense butterflies she had felt moments earlier were now settling into a feeling of unease. She showered with thoughts of Loki's arms around her. She dressed and put a touch of makeup on, wanting to look a bit more presentable than she had been the past few days driving. She wondered what the trip to meet Jane Foster was going to be like.

She walked to the same diner that she had the night before and got a simple breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, hash browns, and coffee. She received directions from her waitress to Jane Foster's lab; it was across town in what the waitress had described 'the burnt part', something that Penny wasn't really sure the meaning of was. She got her car and made the short drive across the small town. And then she really understood what the waitress had meant by 'burnt'. Some of the buildings were literally burnt and wrecked. Shops were closed and caution tape was splayed across large areas, giant potholes spotted the road. She drove carefully through the mess of a street, "What happened here?" she breathed as she made her way to the unharmed laboratory which seemed to have been a gas station or a television station or something other than a lab in a previous life. She pulled into a parking space and hopped out of her car, took a deep breath and entered the premise.

The first person she met was a young woman who appeared to be a student, who was sitting at a desk. Penny smiled politely at the girl who offered her an easy smile that quickly fell away to a neutral glare. There were a few moments of silence before the girl raised her eyebrows expectantly and said to Penny in a dry tone, "Can I help you?"

Penny nodded, "I'm looking for Jane Foster."

The girl practically rolled her eyes, "You've come to the right place," she turned and yelled over her shoulder, "Jane!" She then turned back to Penny when her eyes caught on to something behind her, she sighed, "Ugh. One of those days."

Penny turned around and saw two men in suits come out of a big black SUV. She looked back at the girl curiously, "I think they might be here for me."

Before the girl could respond another woman entered the room. Penny assumed it was Jane Foster. The woman was small, shorter and slender. She had golden brown hair and was quietly beautiful in a stunning way. Penny felt slightly intimidated for no real reason other than this lady was very pretty.

Penny smiled and offered her hand, "Miss Foster? Jane Foster?"

Jane nodded and took Penny's hand as the men entered the lab.

Before Penny could introduce herself one of the men stepped forward, "Miss Penny Holden?"

Penny turned around and nodded, "You guys are from S.H.I.E.L.D right?"

The man nodded, "I'm Agent Coulson, and I would like to discuss recent events with you."

Penny nodded again, "Sure, I just have to tell Jane something," She turned to Jane, "Ok. Hey, Jane. This is kind of awkward but I have a message."

Jane was eyeing her with a look that was a cross between scepticism and hope.

Penny continued, "Thor," she took note of the instant response in Jane's eyes at the mention of the Thunder god's name, "he destroyed the… um… the bifrost."

Everything went utterly still.

Jane just stared at her and then Penny realized that tears were beginning to form in the young scientist's eyes. Agent Coulson and his friend made brief eye contact before the friend went outside to make a call. The dark-haired girl was the first one to speak up, "What?"

Penny shrugged, unnerved by the sudden and negative response that her message received, "He destroyed the bridge with his hammer."

The girl looked quite confused.

Jane looked at Penny pleadingly, "Why?"

Penny felt sympathy fill her heart for Jane, "I don't know. I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you."

Jane stared at her suddenly confrontational, "How do you know?"

Penny cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Loki told me."

This elicited another strong response. Jane continued to stare at her with a new look of subdued anger. Coulson took a step forward, suddenly much more interested, and the girl shot up from her seat. She took a couple of worried steps over to Jane and almost glared at Penny, "Loki?"

Penny swallowed and nodded.

The girl turned to Jane, "Loki? As in Thor's crazy brother who tried to kill us and nearly took out half the town?"

Penny tilted her head and blinked slowly.

Jane pushed the girl away, "Yes, Darcy, I'm assuming it's the same Loki. I don't know of any other."

Agent Coulson moved into Penny's line of vision, "Miss Holden? I am very interested in having a conversation with you regarding Loki."

Penny took a deep breath and then another, her eyebrows furrowing.

Agent Coulson studied her, "Are you alright Miss Holden?"

Jane and the girl, Darcy, turned to her.

Penny opened her mouth but closed it, looking at each one of them individually, "I'm sorry. Loki… he tried to kill you?"

Darcy nodded, "Jackass sent this giant metal robot man that could shoot this fire beam and it nearly destroyed everything. Thor went and like sacrificed himself for us all and was all like 'Brother don't do this, their lives are important, take me instead', yadda yadda yadda. And for a moment it looked like Loki was going to listen and be nice and not hurt Thor but then he backhanded him which pretty much killed him but then his hammer came flying through the air and Thor got all decked out in fancy armour and went totally badass and destroyed the thing. And then he was all like 'I'm going to have a word with my brother' and I'm pretty sure he meant that he was going to kick his ass and then he vanished up into the sky and that's the last we saw of him."

Jane nodded as if confirming this was all true.

Penny felt a little sick.

Jane turned to Darcy, her voice low, "You forgot to mention the part where Loki told Thor that their dad died and it was Thor's fault. Where in reality Thor's father was not dead and Loki was just screwing with Thor's head so he wouldn't come back to Asgard and stop Loki from being king."

Penny nearly choked, "K-king?"

Jane nodded, "Something happened and Loki was king; a fact that made Thor and his friends very uneasy, I got the impression that Loki was very dangerous and no one really trusted him."

Penny felt like the world was slipping sideways, "I… uh… I didn't know… any of this."

Agent Coulson turned to Penny, "He's been with you."

Both of the other women turned to her.

Penny closed her eyes and tried steady herself, when she opened her eyes she was met with three other pairs of very curious eyes, "I drove him…" she saw that there were still curious, "here. I drove him here."

Darcy backed up slowly as her eyes widened to the size of golf balls; Jane stood still for a moment before running over to a table filled with documents and began to rifle through papers.

Agent Coulson remained where he was, "And where is he now?"

Penny stared at him helplessly. A million thoughts began shooting through her mind. Loki tried to kill them. He nearly killed his own brother and perhaps he eventually succeeded, she didn't know. She didn't know Loki. Her stomach continued to twist and turn and then a memory slipped, unbidden, into her mind; it was dark but Loki's voice carried over to her, it sounded broken and Penny had never heard so much pain or the dark tone of hatred: "I have always been in the shadow of my brother. Thor has always had the hearts of our people, our friends, even our parents. His parents. So it all made sense. All the years standing behind him; I am nothing more than a potential treaty, unworthy of the throne, unworthy of their love." She closed her eyes. It didn't justify anything. He was hurt but that didn't mean he had the right to hurt others. She looked to Coulson, "He," she hesitated, hating herself, and then quietly, "He disappeared."

Coulson continued to stare at her, "I'm sorry?"

She cleared her throat, "He is capable of things. He's magic. He can disappear, into thin air it seems." She snapped her fingers, "like that. Gone." Her voice broke; she looked away, "I'm sorry, if you'll excuse me." She looked back at Jane once more as she started to make her way over to her car, "I'm sorry for any unhappiness my message might have caused." She brushed past the agent and unlocked her car. She pulled away from the lab hastily and drove through the abused street as the caution tape took on a whole new meaning. She felt tears cloud her eyes. When she reached the hotel she slammed her car door shut. Her hands were shaking as she made her way through the hotel lobby and slid her key card through the door to her room. She swung the door open.

Loki was there.

She stepped in the room letting the door close behind her. She let out a shaky breath, tears beginning to spill on her cheeks. For a moment there was only silence. Loki seemed calm; he was standing still only a few feet away from her. When she met his eyes what she saw was unexpected; he was looking at her almost desperately; there was a hateful pleading in his eyes. She suddenly understood his look from the morning. He knew what she was going to discover.

She looked away; biting her lip, "Is it true?"

This question did not seem to please Loki. His head recoiled and he grimaced, "Is what true?"

Penny glared at him, "Did you try to kill everyone in this town and then attempt to kill your brother, after lying to him about your father's supposed 'death'?"

Loki's eyes narrowed, "Yes."

Penny let out a short laugh in disbelief that he would admit it so openly.

Loki took a step towards her, "You know why I did it." He looked at her imploringly.

She sighed exasperated, "That doesn't make it right! Who the hell are you? Have you been lying to me this whole time? What do you need me for? Huh? What do you want from me?"

Loki shook his head, "This isn't about you."

She grit her teeth, "No, maybe not. But it is now. Because I'm a part of this whole thing and you made me go talk to Jane. What do you want from me?"

He looked to her earnestly, "It's not about you."

She threw her arms up, "I know that! Okay? But what do you want from me? Just tell me! Okay? Tell me what it is that you want from me."

"I don't know!" his voice was loud and hard, he softened, "I don't know. I've never known. You were never a part of the plan. I never expected you."

He studied her for a moment his eyes darting across her features searching for something.

Penny had never seen so much emotion on his face. She felt a bit of her resolve weaken and she looked away from him. He moved towards her and placed a hand on each of her arms. Penny looked up at him wishing that she had never met Jane.

He looked into her eyes, "Penny."

And then there was a small whizzing sound and Loki fell to the ground.

Penny gasped in surprise as she felt his hands slip from her arms. She knelt by his side to discover an arrow in the side of his neck. She looked to their window that was somehow open. Her hand flew up to her mouth, "Oh my god." She felt something inside of her begin to split, "No. Loki? Loki!" she put a hand on his shoulder; shaking him gently. She turned her head at the sound of a loud noise outside the door. She turned back to Loki desperately; tears flowing freely.

Suddenly the door burst open and Penny was grabbed from behind.


	9. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> S.H.I.E.L.D and a cliff side.

Penny struggled for a moment before a comforting but stern voice asked her to calm down, she wasn't in any danger.

Penny looked around to see who had her in their grasp. He looked almost like a soldier but he was all in black and his apparel wasn't so bulky. From the door three more men came in.

One of them saw Loki on the ground and then looked to the window as another man climbed through it, "Woo! Nice shot Barton!"

Penny's wide frightened eyes narrowed as she turned to glance at this 'Barton' character. Then whoever was holding on to her hoisted her up so that she was standing; no longer by Loki's side.

She felt panic grip her stomach.

Barton knelt down beside Loki; he gave a low whistle, "Geez, it barely went in. This guy has tough skin. The tip is in though; he'll be out of it as long as the arrow stays where it is. If it falls out you got about forty-five minutes before the estazolam wears off, right now it's still pumping into his system," for a moment he looked like he regretted speaking as his eyes met Penny's, "Let's get him to Coulson."

Penny had to bite her tongue. Coulson. So they were all S.H.I.E.L.D… how annoying. She looked at Loki's unconscious form worriedly. Relief flooded through her as Barton's words registered. Loki was alright. He was just unconscious and at the mercy of these agents. For a moment Penny thought that maybe this was how it should be. Loki was guilty of terrible crimes; he was dangerous and unpredictable; rash and emotionally unstable. She felt her heart sink slightly as she realized that she really didn't want him to be locked away in some government facility. She was still hurt and confused but suddenly it all seemed to be shot in a new perspective. She cared for Loki, and she couldn't be apart from him.

The agent who was holding her turned to Barton, "What about her? Do we bring her?"

Barton looked almost unsure for a moment. Penny looked at him, praying they would take her wherever they were taking Loki. It was odd, she felt inexplicably tied to him. It felt very important that she stayed by his side. For some reason she felt a little responsible for him. She watched as Barton seemed to contemplate whether or not she should come. Then she wriggled out of the agents grasp, rather suddenly, and made it look like she was making a run for it. She had barely gone two steps before the agent grabbed her again. He let out a small laugh, "Okay tiger, you're coming with us."

Penny relaxed in his arms and let him guide her to an SUV parked outside the hotel. It took all four of the other agents to carry Loki and put him in the back. She kept her eyes on his still form the entire way. After driving for a few minutes Penny was only slightly surprised when they pulled into Jane's lab. She allowed herself to be led inside while she watched them bring Loki in and set him down on a couple of chairs. After putting Loki down the agents stepped away and allowed Agent Coulson and another man move forwards to take a closer look at the god. Penny observed the new man; he seemed to hold rank over every agent present, including Coulson. He didn't look like an agent; he was dressed all in black but instead of a suit it was a turtleneck and long leather jacket, it was a badass look completed with an eye patch. She felt a tremor of fear as he leaned in to inspect the arrow in Loki's neck.

Suddenly the man turned to her, "Penny Holden?"

Penny swallowed nervously and nodded. The agent holding her let go.

He scrutinized her for a moment, "I'm Nick Fury; director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson is going to debrief you on our current situation and in return you're going to tell him everything that went down these past couple days."

Penny just stared wide eyed.

Then Jane came forward, causing Penny to notice her for the first time since she came to the lab again, "What are you going to do with him?"

Darcy emerged as well, eyeing the situation curiously.

Fury tilted his head and studied the subdued mischief maker, "We'll run some tests; figure out what it means to be Asgardian. If he's here that means Thor could be here. We have to find out what needs to happen to make that possible."

Penny stared fearfully at Loki; she turned to Fury timidly, "So he's just going to be your little lab rat?"

Fury narrowed his eyes, "We are going to learn from him; he's going to help us."

Penny felt a little sick, "I don't think he'll like that."

Fury snorted, "He's not in that sort of position. He attacked us. It's possible he plans to attack us again. This man needs containment."

Penny bit her lip, "He's not just a man," suddenly a thought broke through her mind, she looked up to Fury, "You said you want to find out what exactly an Asgardian is?"

Fury nodded.

Penny stopped, wondering if she should continue, "I don't know if he can help with that."

Fury raised an eyebrow, "Coulson, maybe you should conduct an interview with Miss Holden immediately."

Penny felt panic grip her as Coulson came towards her. She wasn't afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D. or what they could do to her; she had done nothing wrong. All she had to do was go and talk to the agent and then she could go back to building a new normal life. But she was terrified at the idea of being separated from Loki. She was mad at him and extremely confused but something in her gut told her that she couldn't lose him and that if she left now she would never see him again. She leapt away from Coulson and bolted to Loki's side; she ran her hands over his shoulders not knowing what to do. Then, very quickly, another agent grabbed her arms. Adrenaline and desperation enveloped her and without thinking she pulled the arrow from Loki's neck, plunged it into the agent's leg and screamed "Wait!"

Everyone froze. All eyes fell to the unconscious S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Penny's eyes widened as comprehension of her actions dawned on her. She swallowed, "Oh my god."

Coulson took a step forward.

Penny held up her hand, "Just wait." She noticed that all of the other agents had guns on her, "Just stop. For a minute. And think. Okay? Okay. He's powerful and capable of some really crazy shit. And he's Thor's brother, so he won't be happy if you treat his brother poorly."

Jane moved closer, "Um, well he was kind of upset with him. You know, Loki tried to kill him."

Penny nodded, scrunching her eyes for a moment, "Yeah but," she opened her eyes, struggling to come up with a reason why she should defend Loki, "I… I think, I can't…" she let out a frustrated breath, "He was hurt. And alone and he was dealing with difficult and overwhelming emotions and that doesn't excuse him or pardon him but it also doesn't define him and neither do his past actions. He's more than Thor's depraved brother." She stopped, feeling tears beginning to sting her eyes, and then she added, in a soft whisper, more for herself than anyone else, "And I can't lose him."

Jane was the only one close enough to hear the last part; she watched Penny for a moment, "You're in love with him."

Penny's eyebrows shot up and she coughed her tears away, "Wow. That's a big word. Figuratively, literally it's a very small word." She felt her heart pounding against her chest, "No. Noooo. I've known him for like, what? Six days? That's not enough to… and we're just, I mean, ahhhh." She shook herself, "I'm not, ahhhh."

Darcy tilted her head, "Well Jane knew Thor for less than that and she's gone all moony-eyed."

Jane hissed at her, "Darcy."

Darcy shrugged, "What? Just saying, it's not impossible."

Penny laughed nervously, "Not impossible…" she turned to Fury, "Just don't hurt him. Actually I'm more worried about you upsetting him. Cause I don't think that's something you want."

Fury turned to Barton, "How long until he wakes up?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"Do you have any more of those arrows?"

Barton nodded, "Yes sir."

Fury looked at Penny, "Good, good," he turned, "Coulson" he nodded at him.

Coulson offered his hand to Penny, "Miss Holden."

Penny looked at him but only clung to Loki tighter.

Coulson gave her a look that almost resembled pity, "Miss Holden we need to debrief you. Your cooperation is most appreciated."

Penny gave him an apologetic look, "I can't just leave him."

"You're not just leaving him. He's in capable hands. With your help we can better understand him and his motives, understand what may be considered as a threat."

She just stared at him.

Coulson pursed his lips slightly, "Grant."

The agent, Grant, who had been holding Penny before advanced towards her. Penny could only watch and whisper, "No."

And then a hand snaked around her and grasped her wrist, Penny looked down at the arm sleeved in green and then turned to look at his face, "How?" she felt a touch of irritation, "How long have you been awake?"

Loki fought a smirk.

Penny clenched her teeth, "Have you been awake this whole time? Did you fake unconsciousness to get out of an argument?"

Loki didn't respond, he simply stood up, supporting Penny, and with a flick of his wrist spun her away so that he stood between her and the other agents.

Penny felt some of the anger return, "Bastard."

Loki turned to her; both his eyebrows up.

Penny resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

Slowly Loki turned back to face S.H.I.E.L.D. Grant was now still in his place, waiting for orders.

Coulson spoke first, "Stand down. We have you out numbered. We don't want to hurt you. We just need to talk to you."

Loki looked at him with playful contempt, "You don't want to hurt me?"

Coulson shook his head.

Fury studied Loki for a moment, "Do not underestimate us."

Loki turned to him, a devilish smile on his face, "I do not. Though, I will warn you not to underestimate me."

Coulson spoke, "We've met your brother. We're curious as to what you're capable of. We certainly will not underestimate you."

Loki gave him a scolding glance, "You already have."

They all stood watching him with neutral faces; all but one. Loki took a few couple steps over to Jane Foster. She stood there, small and defiant, glaring at him angrily. Loki smiled, he let his shroud weaken, and without taking his eyes of Jane he addressed the sky, "Heimdall." It was one small name but Loki felt a moment of pure euphoria as he imagined the consequence of this small scene that Heimdall was now privy to. To add more fuel to the fire he reached out and grabbed Jane's hand. She cringed slightly at his touch. He gave her hand a soft kiss, his eyes laughing. Jane recoiled and slapped him. Loki didn't flinch; he simply continued to smirk. And then her gave his shroud full power and disappeared from Heimdall's gaze. He stopped smiling; the show over. He stepped away from her; the mischief in his eyes turning to abhorrence.

Jane noticed the fall of the act; she called on her courage, "Why did he do it?"

Loki gave her a pitying glance, "He had to. The bifrost was destroying Jotenheim, the only way to stop it was to break the bridge and end all journeying to the other worlds."

Jane inhaled shakily, "So it's true?"

He nodded, responding in an uninterested tone, "The bifrost is gone, the rainbow bridge broken."

Nick Fury took a measured step towards the fallen prince, "And yet you're here."

Loki turned to him, "I am."

Fury inclined his head, "Which means Thor can still get here."

Loki grinned, "My brother is not me. Know that." He shot a glance to the astrophysicist, "I'd bet on Jane before I'd bet on Thor."

Fury put his hands on his hips, "Well perhaps you could help Miss Foster with her theories."

Loki seemed thoroughly amused, "I think not."

Penny watched Loki interact with everyone. She felt fear cascade over her, there was something extremely dangerous about him. The way he spoke to Jane was creepily terrifying. All of it was a reminder that she didn't really know who he was. But there was more than the fear, his whole presence shifted, she could feel the power emanating from him and she feared for anyone who might get in his way. Somehow she still felt safe. Somehow she felt like he really wouldn't hurt her. She remembered when he had made that promise to her. She tried to justify her feelings, tried to understand why he wouldn't harm her or put her in harm's way. There had to be a solid reason. But there wasn't. He didn't need her; he wasn't using her for anything. After her first visit to Jane's she thought that she might have been conned; Loki's little puppet. But she knew that that wasn't how it was. Loki really didn't need her. And that set her heart beating rapidly because if she wasn't part of the plan then why on earth would he even talk to her? She knew of his disdain for 'mortals' and how angry and hurt he was. It didn't make sense that he would even associate with her. True, he had needed a bit of help when he first landed but she was pretty sure that he would have been fine if he had left the next morning. He probably would have gotten to New Mexico much faster. But he stayed, and he talked to her, and he kissed her. Perhaps he simply cared about her.

Coulson's eyes darted between Loki and everyone else; he turned to Barton, "Barton. Now."

Barton shot another arrow; it flew straight for Loki who quickly spun out of the way, causing the arrow to continue on its path; straight to Penny. Penny felt her heart stop for a moment as she registered the arrow as it came directly towards her. Right before it hit her, the arrow suddenly transformed into a stunning emerald flower that flew harmlessly onto her stomach before dropping to the ground. She attempted to steady her breathing. She raised her eyes to Loki who had his hand outstretched towards her; fury blazing in his eyes as he stared at the arrow-flower. Penny tried to get his attention, "Loki," she whispered.

He raised his eyes to meet hers.

She looked at him pleadingly, "It's fine. I'm fine. Thank-you."

The anger left him.

The rest of the room was still; watching the two of them, tension high.

Loki crossed over to Penny. He glanced back at Jane, "If you do find my brother, give him my regards." He pulled Penny towards him, "Close your eyes."

Penny looked up at him, confused, "What?"

Loki half-smiled, "Just close your eyes."

Penny closed her eyes.

There was a quiet whirring sound and then complete silence and then Penny heard the wind and felt a soft breeze over her skin. She frowned, "Can I-

Loki's voice sounded quickly, "Yes," he sounded out of breath.

Penny opened her eyes to find Loki grimacing slightly. She moved even closer to him; concerned, "Are you okay?"

He gave her a small smile, "I am." He hugged her and kissed her forehead, "You're safe."

Penny melted into his arms; burying her head into his embrace. For a moment she just rested there; happy to be with him. And then everything came back to her and she remembered with a sickening lurch just how little she knew about him. She pulled away; noticing that they were no longer in the lab, "How did this happen?" she stared at their surroundings, they were outside on a small, short cliff that looked over the dry landscape of New Mexico.

Loki kept his arms around her and looked around himself.

Penny looked back at him and pushed him away, "I can't…" she shrugged, hating her emotions as she felt tears, once again, begin to blur her vision.

Loki looked out at the sky briefly, and then he turned back to Penny almost urgently, "Penny. I need you to know that I never wanted to harm you or use you in anyway. You helped me in a moment when I was at my most vulnerable. And then you continued to aid me and guide me in a new world. I accepted your charity without design or hidden motives and I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me. And I have come to care for you." He paused, emotion threatening to overtake him, "Very much," he breathed.

Penny looked at him fearfully, "Why are you saying this."

He gave her a hopeful look, "So that you know that this isn't over for me."

"What do you mean?"

He stared at her unhappily, "I have to leave you now but know that I will come to you again; this isn't over."

She glared at him furiously, "What 'this'? I don't know you! I don't care! Fine. Go. Leave, that's probably for the best because you're some psycho." She felt angry tears splash across her face, "Leave me alone!"

Loki clenched his jaw and nodded, "Yes, alright. S.H.I.E.L.D will look after you and see that you are safe."

Penny looked away from him, and demanded meekly "Good." She looked at the sky in the same direction he had looked before, there was a dark object flying towards them, "Is that them?"

He nodded, "Answer all of their questions; you owe me nothing."

She looked back at him, an expression of angered hurt splayed across her face, "Well they're coming so you better get out of here."

Loki nodded again and turned from her. With his back to her he closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. And then he turned back to her and began to move towards her.

She watched him in distress and argued softly, "Go."

Loki stopped in front of her, nodding, his expression painted in agony, "I will."

But first he kissed her. Penny wrapped her arms around his neck while her heart pounded against her chest. This kiss was rougher, more urgent than the others. She felt a million emotions wash over her as Loki's lips crashed down on hers. Eventually she pushed him away.

She tried to catch her breath, "Why are you leaving? What are you going to do?"

Loki just stared at her; his expression unreadable.

She felt knots in her stomach, "You're going to do something bad. That's not over either." She looked down and away before moving back closer to him, she cupped his cheeks with her hands; staring into his eyes, "You don't have to prove anything. You are more than worth it."

Loki almost smiled, "I know." He said softly.

She smiled pleadingly, "Then let's just go. We'll get away and we'll never have to deal with any of this ever again." The tears started to fall; she rested her forehead on his, "Please?"

He grabbed her hands and pulled them away, he took a step backwards, still holding her hands, "I will see you again, in due time."

Penny stared at him; dread seeping into her heart, "No,"

Loki continued stepping backwards, he let their hands fall apart.

Her voice became panicked, "No, Loki."

He gave her a melancholy smile.

She watched in utter horror as he disappeared, "Loki!"

Penny ran to the spot where he had vanished, she looked all around her; screaming his name.

She was alone.


	10. Cinematic Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny reflects on her feelings for Loki and encounters new companions.

Penny sat on the stony ground. She felt tears falling down her cheeks, and let out a strangled sob. She hated herself for reacting this way. Penny tried wiping her tears away, but they were seemingly never-ending. After a while she calmed down, silent tears still cascading down her cheeks. She watched as the little black dot in the darkening sky zoomed closer and let out a large sigh. Penny hoped that whoever was coming brought tissues.

The closer the dot came, the more bizarre the shape appeared. Penny stared at the incoming S.H.I.E.L.D. contraption. Eventually, its shape became clear to her. She stared through watery eyes in disbelief, Holy Shit. That's Iron Man. She watched with fascination as he came even closer, eventually landing no more than ten feet away from her. Penny stared at him for a moment, hardly believing her watery eyes. She wiped the trails of tears aside and sniffed a little. She waited for something to happen, and jumped slightly when his face flipped back to reveal Tony Stark. Penny smiled in spite of herself. "Oh hey, it's actually you."

The celebrity frowned slightly. "What do you mean it's 'actually' me?"

Penny shrugged, sniffing again. "Well, you know. Some people say you're not actually Iron Man."

"Really? 'I am Iron Man' is not clear enough?"

She shrugged again. "There will always be conspiracy theories."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Penny sniffed once more.

Stark spoke first. "So, either you have one hell of a case of Stockholm syndrome, or you're not a hostage."

Penny gave him a look of extreme confusion. "What?"

"When I was flying over, I could see you two; you looked pretty cozy."

Penny's look of confusion stayed in place, albeit now with an underlying tremor of sadness. "Hostage?"

Iron Man jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, pointing in the direction he came from. "Coulson told me you were a hostage."

Penny's eyes narrowed. "What a little nincompoop."

Stark studied her amusingly for a moment. "Perfect word for him," he replied with a crooked smile.

Penny made the connection. "Oh. So you're S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

He sort of shook his head. "Nope. I'm more of a – consultant – if you will. But I'm the big gun, so they called me over," he paused for a brief moment, "A guy who disappears; that's new."

Melancholy filled her face. "Did you meet Thor?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Penny sighed tiredly. "Never mind. What now?"

"Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to debrief you, but it's getting kind of late."

She turned her eyes to the horizon where the sun had set. She looked around her. "I don't even know where I am."

"You're not that far from town. Are you staying in the hotel in Puente Antiguo?"

She nodded.

Iron Man's face flipped down, causing Penny to jump a little bit.

He held out a metal hand to her. "I'll take you."

She just stared at the outstretched Iron Man arm for a moment, before glancing at him sceptically. "What?"

"It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? Not that bad for you! You're in an iron suit!"

"Actually, it's not really iron–"

"Doesn't matter! My head's probably going to explode or something!" Somewhere in the back of her mind, Penny found it hilarious that she was having a conversation with someone who resembled a robot.

"Please, just let me take you to the hotel; I'm not going to let your head explode."

She eyed the neutral expression of the mask. "Promise."

"Promise," the muffled yet enhanced voice replied.

Gingerly, she took a step towards him. Grabbing the metal hand, Penny allowed herself to be held by the arms of a machine. Right before they took off, Penny looked at the glowing eyes of the 'superhero.'" This is weird."

He inhaled before responding, his voice rising in a rapid crescendo of volume. "It gets weirder!"

And then they were off.

Penny gulped in air as they flew up into the sky. At first she pinched her eyes shut, nausea and fear threatening to take over her. After a few moments, she peeked at the land below her. She felt a little dizzy, but then realized that they were nowhere near as high as Iron Man was when he first came, nor were they going as fast. A hesitant smile came to her face, Jack, I'm flying. For no reason at all, this random thought made her think of Loki. She felt emotion hit her violently. The momentary euphoria of flight disappeared as the remembrance of her Spaceman came back to her. She felt very heavy all of a sudden. It was all just too much. Too much change, too much emotion that she felt wasn't justified. She felt incredibly overwhelmed. Instead of going into a panic attack or into another crying fit, she simply sighed and rested against her new robot friend.

It didn't take them long to reach the hotel. Iron Man landed surprisingly gracefully, and they both touched onto the ground gently.

"Thanks for not letting my head explode," Penny said with a half-hearted smile.

He gave a simple nod. And then he was off, rocketing away with incredible speed.

When Penny turned around she was face to face with two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. She recognized them, particularly her old buddy Grant. She hesitated before speaking. "Hi…? I thought that it was getting a little late for our interview. Tomorrow morning suit you?"

Grant stepped forward. "Tomorrow you will meet with Agent Coulson; in the meantime, we have been assigned to you."

Penny felt as if she could scream. "Assigned?"

He nodded. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is concerned for your safety and the safety of others in your presence."

She raised an eyebrow. "Safety of others?"

The other agent stepped forward. "You assaulted an agent and demonstrated an alliance with a hostile."

Penny's mouth made a little 'o.' "Oh. Right."

Grant's voice took on an almost compassionate tone. "We are stationed with you overnight."

She just stared at them, resigning herself to the mess she was in. "Ok. Whatever."

Penny walked past them and proceeded into the hotel lobby. She reached the clerk at the desk, flanked by her two agents. The clerk gave her a dubious look. She sighed. "Ok, listen," her eyes flicked to his nametag, "Phil. I need you to help me out a little bit here."

He nodded, looking a little fearful.

"Alright, well, I need some candy. A lot of junk food actually."

Phil nervously pointed to a stand by the desk that was full of junk food.

Penny glanced over at the cornucopia of unhealthy treats. She gestured to it, "Grant."

The agent behind her perked up.

She continued. "I need one of everything please. Nothing with fruit. Candy and chocolate prominently." She watched him hesitate. "Now please! Let's work together here." Surprisingly, he obeyed her. She turned her focus back to Phil. "Do you rent movies? I noticed my TV has a DVD player, and some hotels rent movies."

Phil nodded. "We do that."

"Okay. I need…" she thought for a moment. She needed something familiar and sad, something in her also wanted romance, but nothing too realistic, "I need Casablanca. And Gone With the Wind. Do you have those?"

"Yes…I believe so. Hold on," he bit his lip as he rummaged through the desk, "here you go. Room number?"

"114." Penny took the movies. "Add the candy to the room total too?"

Phil shrugged. "Sure, why not? Hey, you okay lady?"

Penny stared at him. She blinked a few times. And then tears began to stream down her face. "I'm fine!" She turned abruptly, nearly bumping into the nameless S.H.I.E.L.D, agent. "Thanks for the help, Phil!"

Penny practically ran down the hall and into her hotel room. She walked through the still open door; everything was as it had been before. She stormed past her unfinished painting and went straight to the window, slamming it closed. She turned to the nameless agent, who was subtly trying to close the door. She narrowed her eyes at him, her cheeks tear-streaked. "Is it broken?"

He looked up at her with an almost innocent expression. "Sorry?"

"Is the door broken, because you guys just randomly burst in here, grabbed us and left?"

He fiddled with it a moment. "Uh," he cleared his throat before aggressively hitting a certain piece, the door closing softly and securely, "nope. No trouble here."

Penny grimaced at him. "Your name?"

He didn't move. "Agent Turner."

"Okay, "Penny walked carefully over to the DVD player, "Grant, can you put the candy on my bed?" She pointed. "That one, there. Okay. Well, I guess you guys are sort of in control of this situation, but this is my bed. I can only offer you that one bed there, but you're welcome to whatever junk food you like."

They didn't say anything.

She held up the movies. "Which one first?"

Neither of them made any indication.

She sighed. "At ease gentlemen. Relax. Let's not make this situation any more awkward than it has to be. I'm putting in Casablanca." She put the DVD in and left it on the menu. She grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom. "Just changing," she informed them.

Penny closed the door and stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection had puffy red cheeks. Sighing, she grabbed a tissue and blew her slightly swollen nose. The worst part was her eyes. Defeat was written clearly across her dull olive irises. She shook herself and splashed water on her face.

"You're fine," she said to herself, hardly believing it. Something in the mirror caught her eye. She turned around. The towels were folded on a shelf behind her, and in the crease of one was a little green ribbon. Carefully, trying not to make any noise, she picked up the folded towel and opened it. Inside was an extremely thick envelope with the inscription 'For Penny.' Her breath hitched slightly. She opened it to find an enormous amount of money; she nearly doubled over at the sight of so many hundred dollar bills. There was really far too much of every kind of bill. Penny felt almost sick. She pulled out a single sheet with sparse writing on it, and read it carefully:

Penny,

Do not be stubbornly angry. I simply want to offer you financial security in your current predicament, of which I am the cause. Please, accept it.

I will see you again soon.

Your 'Spaceman'

P.S., I feel terribly lost without your constant presence, though I will understand if you wish to never speak to me again.

And that was it. Penny felt like she should be coursing with anger. She should be cursing his name and imagining anvils falling on his head. How could he just leave her money with no real explanation, or further indication of when or where they may meet again? Instead, all she felt was her heart pounding fervently, one phrase running over and over in her mind; 'I feel terribly lost without your constant presence.' It was small, almost in passing, but she knew the significance. Loki was in a very unstable emotional condition, and now he was 'lost' without her. She wondered if there was any way that he felt as terrible as she did. She glanced towards the door, before hiding the envelope and note again leaving the little green ribbon out. Penny searched through her bag and grabbed her wallet, placing the ribbon inside. She changed into her pyjamas, thinking only of Loki. She sighed, banishing him from her thoughts. She gathered her things and swung the door open. "Okay, I need some Bogie!"

Turner turned to her. "Bogie?"

Grant inclined his head. "Bogart, Humphrey. Star of Casablanca."

Turner nodded.

Penny ignored them and hit play, collapsing on her bed. She let the music and incredible ambiance of the film take her away. She allowed herself to be completely caught up in the film. Grant sat on the other bed and Turner was seated at the table; both were idly watching the movie. She cried through the better part of the second half of the film. Penny wondered if she could be like Rick and Ilsa, giving up love to do the right thing. But then again, this wasn't WWII. However, whatever Loki was planning was sure to screw things up big time. Stupid Loki. Then she had a minor panic attack because she had been comparing herself and Loki to Ilsa and Rick, two of cinema's most revered lovers. Rick and Ilsa were in love; Loki and I are not. She kept telling herself that.

By the time the movie was over Penny was exhausted, emotionally and physically. Begrudgingly, she got up and switched Casablanca for Gone with the Wind. She turned to the boys, "This one is outrageously long, and at times a little boring, but only I'm allowed to say that because I love it so much. Also, I'm probably going to fall asleep."

Penny hit play and climbed back into bed. She felt herself getting drowsier and drowsier by the minute. Defiantly, she kept her eyes open and focused on Scarlett O'Hara. After a little bit, she decided that she would let herself sleep; she just waited long enough to see Clark Gable. She smiled when he came, laughing, into the film. Penny always wanted a man like Rhett; roguish, charming, but underneath it all one of the most decent people out there. Plus, he was head over heels for Scarlett.

As she watched through sleepy eyes, Penny wondered if anyone had ever been really head over heels for her. Bobby had been a little bit, but he had broken up with her after he graduated. He cared for her, but it wasn't the stuff that Rhett and Scarlett had. She supposed Liam probably had some intense feelings, as he had held on to them all this time, but it wasn't enough to get him to speak up about it. She imagined that he had this image or idea of her, and didn't know if he loved the real thing.

Penny glared at the screen which now showed another character, the golden-haired, southern gentleman who also occupied Scarlett's heart. Penny thought of the blonde Blake; he was the perfect Ashley. Ashley was a cheater, and just an overall soft-headed idiot. Sure, he was kind, and at times very mature, but Penny had always hated him; then she went out and found her own Ashley. How horrendous.

Penny smiled again when Rhett returned to the screen. Then there was Loki. There was no doubt he cared for her. Unless he was just a gigantic liar, which, admittedly, was part of the job description for the God of Mischief, but there was a moment after the arrow-flower hit her; he had looked slightly crazed, and oddly enough, that was how she knew he cared. The storm of intense emotions in his eyes resembled what she had felt when he left her on the cliff. Magically, she had been the one to calm him down. Her. Penny. It was as if, all of a sudden, he realized everything was okay, and that he should get her out of there. And take her to a cliff. And leave her there. Penny sighed. She cast one final look at the screen, perturbed to realize that it was at the part where Rhett leaves Scarlett to 'do the right thing.'

"Bullshit," Penny mumbled, "I'm with Scarlett on this one." She let her eyelids fall and sleep overtook her.

The next morning, Penny rolled over to see Turner sleeping in the bed across from her. The sheer disappointment and sadness of that hit her harder than she expected. She knew that Loki wasn't going to be there, but it still hurt. She glanced around the room. Grant was nowhere to be seen. She stretched for a moment and yawned. Penny looked around at the pile of junk food that surrounded her and gave a little chuckle. What an entirely horrible situation she was in. She got up, grabbed her bag, and went into the bathroom. She cast a dejected look at the folded towels before shutting the door. She pulled out a moneyless towel before stripping and hopping into the shower. After she brushed her teeth and dressed, she came out to the room to find both agents sitting at the table, drinking coffee and eating muffins.

Grant held a coffee cup out for her. "There's some here for you too. You like chocolate chip?" He pointed to a delectable looking muffin.

Penny eyed him warily. "Yes," she slid into another chair and began to eat.

Grant continued. "Agent Coulson is on his way."

She raised an eyebrow. "He's coming here?"

Grant nodded. "We don't really have a base situated here. Though, after all the recent activity in this area, we might need one."

She nodded absentmindedly. It was about three minutes later when there was a polite knock at the door. Turner opened it, nodding at Coulson, "Sir."

Coulson walked in and sat across from Penny. "Miss Holden," he greeted briskly, his tone all business.

She smiled complacently at him.

"I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation; we need you to tell us exactly what happened, from when you first came in contact with the hostile."

Penny took a moment before saying anything. She calmed herself, and attempted to remove any emotional attachment to the memories beginning to wash over her. Penny took a deep breath, and told her story. She told Agent Coulson all the facts, leaving out little things, like the incident with the hair dryer, her self-discovery regarding Blake, the kissing, the paint supplies, and the fact that she referred to Loki as Spaceman. When she came to the part on the cliff she had to fight back stubborn tears. As soon as she finished, Penny let out a shaky breath, satisfied that she hadn't really started to cry.

Coulson eyed her for a moment. "What exactly did he say when he left?"

She frowned. "He told me that you guys would come for me. That you'd hunt me down, to answer your questions," she paused. "He said I didn't owe him anything." Her voice died out.

Agent Coulson gave a nod to Turner, who got up from the table. Coulson turned back to Penny. "He didn't say anything else?"

Penny shifted her eyes back to him, and squirmed uncomfortably. "He told me he cared about me, but he had to leave me… there was something he had to do."

"What?"

"I don't know. He's a bit upset; he wants to prove himself to his father and his brother."

Coulson tilted his head. "Thor?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think he kind of grew up in Thor's shadow."

He was quiet for a moment. "You said Loki wouldn't be able to help us learn more about Asgardians. Why not?"

Penny bit her lip. This information was something she had decided to keep to herself. She felt it wasn't her place to talk about the truth of Loki's birth. She let out a breath. "Oh, I just don't think he'll be very cooperative; he doesn't really like talking about himself. And I think he's powerful, I mean, I saw him disappear and stuff."

The agent let her patchy answer slide. "He said that he cared about you. Did he say when he'd see you again?"

She stared at him blankly for a minute. "No. No he did not."

"But he will be in contact with you?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "No, I don't think he will."

"He just left you forever?"

Penny looked away and played with her hands. "Um. Yeah."

Coulson sat back in his chair. "This is a very serious situation, Miss Holden."

She felt the beginnings of tears form in her eyes. "Is it?"

"Yes. We're not going to press charges against you, by the way."

She looked up at him. "Oh. Good, good…"

"However, we do feel that it is necessary for you to be under surveillance."

"What?"

"We believe that if he comes in contact with anyone, it would be you. We need to be able to intercept any such communication."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Agent Coulson gave her a look that was close to condescension. "I am always serious, Miss Holden. You should be grateful given your current situation, and the fact that you assaulted an agent. Why didn't the arrow work on Loki?"

She stared at him, her mouth open. "Under surveillance?"

"Yes. Arrow?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know, he's not human? That'd be my guess."

Turner emerged from the bathroom. "Sir," he said, before placing the money envelope on the table.

Penny's eyes widened.

Coulson opened the envelope and quickly read the note. If he was surprised by the amount of money inside, he didn't show it. "Have you seen this, Miss Holden?"

Penny shook her head in an adamant 'no.' She looked at the agents. "Can I read it?"

He handed it to her. She quickly read it, allowing tears to spill over at the familiar words.

Coulson took the page back. "He said he would see you soon."

She gave him an almost frightened look.

"Why 'Spaceman?'" the agent inquired.

She gave a strangled laugh. "When I first met him, he fell from the sky and was all magic-ey."

"You thought he could be from outer space?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, he kind of is."

Coulson studied the inside of the envelope. "We'll need to take samples, the rest is yours."

She reached for the envelope and gave an expression of surprise. "Wow. Okay."

Something on Coulson's person beeped. He pulled some sort of gadget from his pocket and then stood, looking at Penny. "Thank you for your cooperation. Agents Turner and Grant will stay with you until a more practical situation can be arranged." He nodded at the other two agents before leaving.

Grant turned to Penny. "I'm making a food run. Want a cheeseburger?"

Penny nodded absentmindedly. She made her way to her painting and stretched briefly before picking up a brush.

Once again the time seemed to fly past. She ate the food that Grant would bring her, painted, watched the end of Gone with the Wind, phoned her mother and had a complete Loki-less conversation, and then painted more. When she decided to stop, she had painted in stars and a cliff side. She gave the painting a melancholy look before standing up and grabbing her bag. She went to the bathroom and performed her nightly routine mechanically. Penny came back out and got into bed without a word to her companions. She rolled away from them and stared out at the window.

For a moment, Penny just lay there and watched as a small drizzle of rain began to tap against the window. She thought about how much her life had changed in the span of a week. Blake had become a figure of her past; she had reconnected with Sharon; rediscovered her love for painting; quit her job; and now faced a world where she could do almost whatever she wanted. She was also in possession of a small fortune. It was all because one week ago a Spaceman had crashed onto her boyfriend. She closed her eyes and remembered that night. The stars, the betrayal, Loki, the paramedic, telephone wires, Loki collapsing in her arms. Funny, she hadn't even given him one romantic thought then. He was a stranger, a handsome stranger true, but that was it. And now…now she buried her head in her pillow. She was worried for Loki. Not because of S.H.I.E.L.D. or anything, but she was petrified of what Loki was capable of. It was something she had caught on to early on, the emotional hurricane that was raging inside of him. He's unpredictable, she sighed, just not when it comes to me. Or at least she thought so. She could trust him.

Penny was also worried for herself. She was frightened of what Loki was capable of – she was completely aware of his past actions and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s concerns –and yet she still chose him. She was still on his side, and she didn't know what that said about her. She just knew that losing Loki was something she didn't want to think about, which made her feel insane because she didn't even know him eight days ago. She ran a hand through her hair. She cared for him. So what? Big deal! Yeah. Big deal. 'You're in love with him. 'She pushed Jane's voice out of her head. Am not. Just a crush. She sighed once again and closed her eyes. She fell asleep with the memory of kissing Loki playing in her mind.

Loki awoke from a disconcerting dream. It had been dark, night-time; the sky was full of colour, or explosions, he couldn't tell. He had felt the weight of Mjolnir hit his chest and watched as a blue beam of light hit his shoulder. Then everything changed to the memory of his arrival to earth, the pain that hit him violently, and then Penny, leaning beside him, 'It's going to be alright. I'm going to help you.' In his dream he reached out to her, then they were in the hotel bathroom and he had just untangled her hair. This time he took her in his arms and kissed her. When they pulled apart they were on the cliff and he was watching himself pull away from her, he watched as he disappeared, and then watched as she called his name. And then he was back in the exploding sky, but Penny was leaning over him just as she had when they first met. Her lips moved as if she was saying 'It's going to be alright. I'm going to help you,'but instead he heard her calling his name desperately. He watched in fear as she shot away from him and lay ten feet away, unmoving. And then he had woken up. He rubbed his eyes; he had to see her.

It didn't take Loki long to reach the hotel. He carefully made his way into their hotel room and gave a disdainful look to the agents. One of them was fast asleep and the other was sitting at the table, fiddling with some small technological device. Loki moved past them, invisible to their eyes. He walked over to Penny's side. She was asleep, breathing deeply. He watched her for a moment. It was illogical just how much he had come to care for her. He wouldn't have it any other way. Penny was different from anyone he had ever met; passionate and beautiful, with such spirit. She was a fighter. He had recognized this in her when she had defended her view of mortals compared to his. And then she had gone and stabbed an agent with an arrow. A small, rare smile graced his face. And then an expression of unease crept into his eyes. He shouldn't be there. Loki gave her one last look before turning and heading to the door. He had promised himself that Penny wouldn't distract him; he could care for her as much as he liked, as long as it didn't detract from his revenge. There was a bittersweet pride as he recognised that he was capable of this. There was stinging in his heart as he recalled her offer to get away from everything. It was tempting; to leave everything behind and just be with Penny, but there were things he was meant to do. Power that he had to possess, veils that needed to be lifted from the eyes of his family. He paused in the doorway as unwanted emotion descended on him.

He turned back to the woman who he was falling in love with, and in a broken voice whispered, "Sleep well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end! I'll be posting the second installment very soon!


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